Alicante High
by np12345
Summary: Clary Fray lives a predictable life with her best friend, Simon Lewis. But what happens when three new students move to the city and enroll at Alicante High? Clary can't seem to see eye to eye with the new boy, Jace - no matter how beautiful he may be. Will the drama turn their lives upside down, or could the excitement be just what they need? Clace, Sizzy, and Malec.
1. Chapter 1

"You're late!" Clary said teasingly as she watched her best friend, Simon Lewis, trudge down the sidewalk towards her. He kicked some leaves scattered on the cement and held up his hands in surrender,

"I know, I'm sorry. Eric called about some band drama and I lost track of time." He smiled apologetically. Clary walked down her porch steps, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders.

"Just don't let it happen again." She said as intimidating as she could though she was considerably shorter than Simon. "Or else."

"Yeah ok Fray, whatever you say." He responded with a scoff. The two walked side by side against the chilly fall morning. They talked about Simon's upcoming gigs with his band, now named Dank Hollow, the exams they had later this week and a fight that broke out between two jocks on the football team.

"Oh! And did you hear, there are few new students starting today." Simon said pushing up his glasses that had started to slide down his nose. "Three of them to be exact, a girl and two boys. They're all siblings."

"Really? That's interesting are they triplets?" Clary asked, wondering what they would be like.

She had been going to school with the same people since kindergarten, one new student is a big deal, let alone three.

"No not triplets, the boys are a little older, the girl is in our grade. Apparently one of the boys is adopted, too." Clary nodded, retaining this information.

Two boys and girl. Maybe she'd have classes with the sister, maybe they even could become friendly. Clary loved Simon but she always secretly longed for a girlfriend. Spending her adolescence with the opposite sex, she couldn't help but feel like she missed out: sleepovers, gossip, etc. This could be good.

The two crossed the street, dodging traffic and laughing at all the pissed off men in taxis.

"We're going to be late to homeroom again you know." Clary said begrudgingly. She really didn't care much about being late, she just wasn't in the mood to listen to Mr. Penhallow nag about the importance of punctuality.

"Look Clary I know Mr. Penhallow might be the most annoying person ever, like in existence," he said seeming to read her thoughts, "but it'll be fine. Just tune him out, that's what I always do." Simon said leading them into the school.

The halls were basically empty aside from a few kids scurrying to class, balancing books in their arms with panicked looks on their faces. Clary rolled her eyes knowing very well she should be following in their footsteps but she just couldn't bring herself to hurry. She had slept horribly the night before, tossing and turning with nightmares, she didn't have the energy. Clary and Simon reached their lockers and collected their things when they heard voices coming down the hallway.

"Crap! Thats Penhallow." Simon whispered, struggling to get all his things together. Clary looked down the hall and sure enough Mr. Penhallow was striding towards them but instead of alone, he was accompanied by a tall, raven-haired girl in red pumps. She strutted down the hallway confidently, while Mr. Penhallow struggled to keep up with the beaut. Clary and Simon took this as an opportunity to escape. Quietly they turned around and headed in the opposite direction, but their attempt failed.

"Ms. Fray! Mr. Lewis!" Mr. Penhallow's voice shook the halls. "I see you're late, again." The two froze and turned to see him and the girl approach them. Up close the girl was even more gorgeous; flawless skin, dark eyes and cherry, red lips. Clary had to nudge Simon in the ribs to stop him from drooling over her. A little pang of annoyance settled in her stomach, and she found herself self-consciously fixing her hair

"We're sorry Mr. Penhallow, we,"Clary began but Mr. Penhallow held up his hand signaling her to stop.

"Ms. Fray is I can listen to your lame excuse and give you a detention for your excessive tardiness or you can do me a favor and I'll let this one slide."

Clary and Simon nodded to the latter.

"This here is Isabelle Lightwood, she's new here at Alicante High."

"Hi!" She said with a big smile shaking both of the students' hands. "It's nice to meet both of you!"

"Hi, I'm Clary." Despite the jealously, Clary responded warmly to the enthusiasm, and shoved Simon who had started to gawk again.

"Ah uh I'm Simon." He said sheepishly, Isabelle smiled appreciatively.

"Right well Isabelle will need some help getting to know the school and finding classes so I was hoping you and Mr. Lewis might take it upon yourselves to act as a guide of sorts for Ms. Lightwood."

Clary was hesitant to the idea; yes she had been open to the idea of having a new friend, but this wasn't what she had in mind. She was fabulous, Clary was ordinary and spent her life off to the side, she didn't need something, or someone, else to overshadow her. It had only been five minutes and Simon had already forgotten Clary's existence. She bit her lip, but Isabelle seemed so nice, and she couldn't just say no…

"Yeah of course." She said, she turned to Isabelle, "We'd love to." Isabelle grinned.

"Ok well I need to get back to the office, I trust you'll show your new peer to homeroom?"

Clary and Simon nodded while Mr. Penhallow walked away, but not before he threatened the two about being late again.

"Ugh I hope you guys are ok with this. I get how it could be annoying having to watch over the new girl." Isabelle said, rolling her eyes. "But I really appreciate it." Adding a sincere grin.

"No of course not, really. We're happy to help, right Simon?" Clary replied guiltily. How could she have been so selfish a minute ago? She turned to Simon who had been studying Isabelle's face for the past five minutes. Clary rolled her eyes, "Simon, if we're going to be spending time with Isabelle can you at least try to control your weird teenage hormones?"

Simon snapped back to reality, his cheeks turning red. "Ah sorry," he laughed nervously, "can I see your schedule?"

Isabelle giggled and handed it over.

"Okay we have homeroom and English together. Oh, and lunch with Clary and I." Simon said excitedly. Clary scanned Isabelle's classes, too.

"We have history and art." She said, genuinely pleased that she would get more time to know Isabelle.

"Awesome! Alright Mr. Drool, care to lead the way?" Simon blushed but proceeded down the corridor.

Isabelle filled in the two on the way to homeroom, "My parents filed for divorce 'bout a year ago. It isn't final, but my mom was tired of all the drama, so she picked up and started somewhere new. We'll be able to see our father every other weekend but for the most part he's out of our lives."

"Oh I'm sorry Isabelle." Clary and Simon said in their own ways.

She shrugged, "Don't be. He cheated, he's dealing with the consequences now. Besides it's not too bad, my brothers are a pretty good support system when they're not being assholes." She smiled.

"And where are they?" Simon asked, probably wondering what kind of threat they'd pose if by some chance he ever started dating Isabelle.

"They're seniors." She responded.

"Are they twins?" Claire's curiosity perked up.

"No when we were younger my parents took in a foster child, we all fell in love with him and eventually adopted him. Him and my biological brother are best friends."

Clary nodded in response and soon they were in front of 200, Clary's homeroom.

"Well here is my homeroom, I'll see you later Simon, you too Isabelle." She said waving them off.

"Oh please, call me Izzy!" Isabelle sang as she and Simon walked further down the hall. Clary smiled at the words. Maybe this could be more than good.

By the time third period rolled around, all of Clary's silly apprehensions about Isabelle, Izzy, had faded. She seemed awesome and really interested in being friends; Clary had already began drawing Izzy in the back of her notebook and she was eager to finish it. One by one the rest of the class shuffled in; it was a mass of conversation, who did the homework and what were the answers, who hooked up at the party on Saturday, blah, blah, blah. One of the conversations though stood out in particular to Clary; it was an exchange between her friend, Maia and another girl, Kaelie, who Clary wasn't close with.

"The new boys are GORGEOUS." Kaelie said enthusiastically. "They could be models!"

"Really?" Maia asked, leaning forward to make the conversation more private.

"Yes. I saw them at their lockers on my way to second period. Ugh."

"Hmmmm, well maybe I should check them out myself." Maia said winking.

"Hey! You have Jordan, leave some men for us single ladies!" Kaelie said, playfully swatting Maia's arm. Hmm, Clary wondered. So Isabelle's "support system" happened to be hotties. She wondered what they looked like. Isabelle was gorgeous, so Clary came up with a sensible prediction of what her real brother looked like. But the other one wasn't related to them, he was gorgeous (apparently) in his own way. She wondered what kind of eyes he had…

"Hey you." Clary jumped, she hadn't realized she'd been so involved in what Maia and Kaelie were saying. She turned to find Sebastian Verlac sliding into his seat, next to hers. Ultimately Sebastian and Clary run in different circles, but recently the two had started seeing each other. She hadn't thought she would like Sebastian because of how different they were. He was outgoing, sometimes obnoxious, and spent his free time with his fellow, douchey jocks. But to Clary's surprise he was also sweet, charming, and good kisser.

"Hi." She said sweetly.

"Something interesting I should be listening in on too?" He smirked and nodded towards Maia and Kaelie.

Clary shrugged, "No, just talking about the homework."

He smiled and nodded in response. Just then, Ms. Blackthorn entered the room and immediately delved into the "wonders of geometry."

Clary couldn't believe she had blatantly lied to Sebastian like that. No it wasn't exactly appropriate to tell the guy you are dating you were curious to know about the new boys, but they weren't official and she could've told him it was about the brothers without mentioned how good-looking they were. Clary bit her lip and decided that it was simply a lack of judgment.

When lunch finally rolled around, Clary all but skipped to the cafeteria. She scanned the big room and found Isabelle waving at her from a table. Simon sat next to her, smiling and gesturing me to come sit.

After me and Simon's lunch with Izzy Clary had learned more about Isabelle's life. She loved fashion and partying, her brother, Alec, enjoyed archery, while Jace was a talented musician. The three of them were very close and had been surprised and upset by the move. They lived in a townhouse just a few subway stops away from Clary, oh and they had a younger brother, Max.

When the bell rang, Clary and Isabelle said their goodbyes to Simon and headed to history. Just like Clary had expected, guys and girls gawked at Izzy as she walked down the corridor. But instead of feeling overshadowed, Clary felt good walking beside Izzy. Seeing everyone's reaction to Isabelle Lightwood, made Clary stand a little taller. Boys were drooling, getting slapped by their girlfriends, and others checked their appearance in their locker mirrors, but Izzy paid them no mind. Instead, she asked about Clary; Clary filled Izzy in on her life, her mother, her late father, and her art.

"Hey," Izzy whispered to Clary, taking her away from a drawing in her notebook. "Me and my brothers are going out to a bar tonight, a little first day of school celebration. Do you want to come? You can bring Simon."

Clary's heart sank a little. She would've loved to hang out with Izzy outside of school, but a bar? She looked much too young and didn't have a fake.

"I wish, but I don't think so." Izzy's face fell into a pout. Clary kept her eyes on the teacher to make sure he wasn't listening. "I don't have a fake ID."

Izzy smirked, "Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem." Why not? Clary wondered. "Please come Clary."

Clary decided to trust Izzy on this one, "Okay."

Turns out Simon couldn't make it as they made their way home from school. Dank Hollow had mandatory practice at 9 and if they wanted to be ready for their show next week, they needed all the help they could get.

"Crap." Simon said, throwing his hands up in frustration

"Relax lover boy, there will be other chances to hang out with Izzy outside of school." Clary teased, she stepped on the curb and balanced walking on it.

"Yeah, yeah." He said rolling his eyes. They reached Clary's house and she bounded up the porch steps.

"Have fun tonight." He called after her.

Later on, Izzy arrived at Clary's home at precisely 7o'clock.

"We'll meet my brothers there." She explained, "I needed some girl time! What are you going to wear?" She asked, perched on the end of Clary's bed.

Clary looked down at her graphic tee and light wash jeans "This?"

Izzy's face scrunched a little, "That's cute, yeah but I think you're going to need something a little more," She thought about it for a moment, "edgier."

Izzy offered a black, off the shoulder blouse and let Clary wear a pair of dark jeans and her converse and decorated Clary's face with a light layer of makeup. When Clary looked in the mirror and hardly recognized herself.

"Wow Izzy, I look," She started.

"HOT!" Izzy finished for her.

At the risk of sounding conceited, Izzy was right. Clary's head of flames fell perfectly and were complemented by the brown shadow that covered her emerald eyes. The shirt hugged her body perfectly, revealing curves that Clary didn't even know she had. She looked older than 16, she squealed silently. Izzy had done good.

When they arrived to the bar, Izzy flashed a smile to the bouncer who gladly accepted it as a form of ID. Clary followed in suit, batting her eyelashes. For a moment he stared at her and Clary internally panicked. _He knows I'm underage, this is going to work, I look nothing like Isabelle._ The bouncer then smirked and signaled that she was cleared to enter. Clary's heart raced violently, but she smiled sweetly at him. _It worked!_

"They're around here somewhere!" Isabelle shouted over the blaring music. She walked without effort in her sandals, barely paying to attention to the room of men staring at her in awe. Clary followed her, silently cursing herself for not wearing something with a little more height. Compared to Isabelle, she still looked like a little girl, even with her hair and makeup done. Another minute of swerving and weaving through people and the two came to a stop at a couch with a low table. Sitting there was a boy, not much older than the girls with jet black hair and crystal blue eyes. He was handsome, very handsome and obviously Izzy's brother. He was sipping a beer, talking to a girl with platinum blonde hair in a mini skirt. Izzy took a seat on the matching chair next to them.

"There you are. I was beginning to think you got lost on your way here." The boy said with a grin. Izzy rolled her eyes.

"This your new girlfriend?" she responded taunting him, she crossed her arms while Alec's mouth formed a hard line. The girl, uncomfortable being put on the spot, got up to leave.

"Thanks a lot _sis_." He snapped.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that was a total loss."

He broke out into a smile and two started to laugh. A bit confused and left out, Clary coughed loudly.

"Oh my god! Sorry, sit, sit!" Clary took a seat next to Alec on the couch.

"Alec this is my new friend Clary, the one I was telling you and Jace about. Clary this is my brother Alec."

"It's nice to meet you." Clary said coolly, a little shy. Sitting near him, she got a better look at his features and just like Izzy, he was even more handsome up close.

"Likewise. And I've seen Iz has gotten to you already, you poor thing." He said, looking Clary up and down. Clary blushed a bit. "I like your sneakers." He said pointing out the converse.

Clary smiled, relaxing a bit. "Thanks. Uh, by the way, whose Jace?"

"That would be me." A voice called from above. Standing on the opposite side of the table was a boy, Alec's age. He stood tall, lean, and muscular with beautiful golden eyes and hair to match. Clary all but stopped breathing when she looked at him. He was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen; Alec was gorgeous, but this boy was an angel. Her fingers itched for pencil and paper, to draw him. They ached to sketch his lips, the curves of his biceps and the precision of his jawline. Hell, even his ear lobes were perfect.

"Hi, I'm Clary." She said in a small voice, a little intimidated. She struggled to collect herself; this rarely happened, no it never happened. For goodness sake it had taken her 16 years to find someone she liked enough to get pizza with. But this one, this boy was different, there was something she was drawn to but she couldn't figure out why. Clary's pocket vibrated and she reached for her phone it instinctively, it was a text from Sebastian.

-Hey, what r u up to?

She bit her lip and slid it back into her jacket, turning her attention back to Jace.

"Clary." He nodded. "Aren't you a little young to be in a place like this?" He said, taking a seat on the chair opposite of Izzy's.

"I thought we were all underaged?" Clary asked, confused.

He chuckled, "Yes but you look like you're ready for a juicebox and a nap."

"JACE." Izzy said with a growl, Alec stifled a laugh before giving Clary an apologetic look. Clary stared at him, waiting for him to say sorry or add a "just kidding" onto the end.

Instead he shrugged his shoulders, "What? I'm just saying that no smart man in here would ever dream of trying to speak to her for fear they'd end up on a sex offender list."

"Excuse me?" Clary could feel herself losing her temper. Sure she had heard comments about her height and appearance but this was just so rude, and she barely knew the guy!

"And who do you think you are that you can speak to people like that?"

"Uh Clary, why don't we get some drinks?" Isabelle said nervously interfering, pulling her away from the seating area. Clary glared at Jace while Izzy struggled to drag her to the bar.

"Two beers, please." Izzy said to an infatuated bartender before turning her attention back to Clary.

"Look, I know Jace can be kind of,"

"Rude? Unnecessary? An ass?"

"Rough," Izzy sighed. "But I promise underneath all of that he's a good guy and I really don't know where this is coming from. He seemed excited to meet you actually," Izzy thought about something for a moment before returning to the conversation. "I am really sorry about what he said but please just ignore him. That's' what I always do." She said, handing Clary a beer when the man set them on the wooden counter. Clary sighed and looked over to the angel sitting on the arm chair. But he was no longer alone, a small blonde in a tight skirt sat on his right leg whispering something into his ear. The sight made Clary unreasonably uncomfortable, she ignored this.

Clary sighed, "Okay Iz."

Isabelle squealed, "A nickname for my nickname!"

Clary rolled her eyes and lead her back to the seating area, alcohol wasn't really her thing, but maybe taking a few sips would help. As the two girls arrived at the table, so did an older boy with dark hair like Alec's but his eyes were cat-like and he stood confidently in a long red jacket. Alec must have not noticed him approach.

"Hello children." He said with a smirk. Alec's attention turned to the man in the red coat and he jumped up excitedly, embracing him. After a moment he coughed from embarrassment and sat back down, while Izzy went to greet him.

"Magnus!" They hugged. "I didn't know you were coming!" She said happily.

"Well I figured I'd surprise Alec; I know the moves been a little tough on him." He said stroking the back of Alec's head. A light bulb went off finally and Clary realized why flirting with the girl had been a joke to Izzy and him earlier. Izzy nodded and Magnus turned to Jace.

"And Jace, I see you're a little too busy to give me a hug, huh?"

Jace smirked and ran his fingers along the girl's thigh.

"Magnus, jealousy is such an unattractive quality, but if it's you really want to say hello, I do have another leg open."

Magnus made a face of disgust, Clary liked him already. His eyes shifted from the blonde couple and over to her.

"And who's this?" Magnus said with a smile, he made his way over.

"Magnus this is Clary. She's my friend from school!" Izzy said.

Magnus nodded, "Well aren't you just the cutest thing? And look at that hair, is it natural?"

Clary giggled but could feel her cheeks redden, "Yes."

"I like her Izzy." He said, Izzy smiled big.

The attention was a little embarrassing but Clary didn't totally mind it. She laughed at Magnus' compliments, but let her eyes look past him. To her surprise, Jace was staring at her, ignoring Blondie's attempts at conversation. His eyes flickered away quickly and he turned back to his date, pretending to know what she was talking about. Clary looked down and played with her fingers, feeling off, but mostly confused. If she thought Jace was such an ass, why did she have butterflies in her stomach?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying it so far! I know I'm enjoying writing it.**

The next morning Clary felt like a zombie. Soon after Magnus came along, Jace had gone off with Blondie, leaving the four others to chat and drink for a while. Drinking wasn't something she was used to, but she had to admit, it had been a fun night. Unfortunately, she had woken this morning with a headache and dry-mouthed.

 _Last time I go out on a school night_.

She stalked through the crowded hallways noticing the posters stuck to the walls that hadn't been there yesterday.

HOMECOMING DANCE

SEPTEMBER 25TH

7-12

 _Bring a date and dance the night away!_

She mouthed the words as she read them. _Izzy will be ecstatic; she's probably already planning her outfit._ She smiled to herself at the thought.

Clary continued to move through the hallway, flinching at any remotely loud noises and felt a wave of relief when she reached her locker. She hung her up her backpack and collected the books for her first few classes. She went over a brief checklist in her mind: _don't forget about the paper due Friday, you need your calculator for geometry today,_ but her thoughts were interrupted when Sebastian showed up.

"Hi Clary." He said kindly.

"Hey, what's up?" She muttered, balancing some books with her art portfolio.

"Nothing, big test this morning." He looked a little worried.

"Nervous?"

He smirked, "No, it should be fine. I uh,"

"Is something wrong?" She asked more attentively.

"I texted you last night," He began. Realization dawned on her, she had blown him off! All because she had been momentarily distracted by "golden boy." _Really Clary?_ She internally scolded herself.

"Crap! I am so sorry. I was with Isabelle, the new girl, and I just got distracted I guess,"

"Hey, woah its ok." He laughed. "It's fine. I was just going to ask you something."

"What's that?"

He looked down and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Would you be my date to the homecoming dance?"

Clary grinned wide, "Yes, I'd love to."

Sebastian erupted into a huge smile and kissed her on the cheek. "Awesome. I have to get to class, do some last minute cramming, but I'll see you later?"

She nodded as he disappeared into the mass of students. She smiled to herself and collected the rest of her things. But all of the giddiness she had felt was suddenly overshadowed at the sight of Jace. He was talking to Kaelie at her locker. She was bouncing up and down while she spoke, randomly touching his arm and batting her eye lashes. He was leaning against some lockers, he looked kind of… sexy. She quickly shook her head, _Clary, what are you doing? Who the hell cares?!_ She took a deep breath and headed towards their way. _Keep cool, ignore him! He's a jerk._

But as she was passing them, she couldn't help herself.

"Jace." She nodded, civilly. He looked over, a little confused, but gave a polite, but dismissive wave.

Kaelie leaned in towards him, clearly trying to claim her territory. Shaking her head again, she wanted to hit herself. _That was so embarrassing. Why did I do that?_

The rest of the morning seemed to drag on so by fourth period Clary felt a glimmer of hope when she realized she finally had her elective, Studio Art. It was the only class Clary wanted to take, but unfortunately electives were every other day. The smell of paint filled her nostrils and she felt at home. She walked over to her regular easel and set up her materials. Izzy bounced into the room and Clary waved her over.

"Hey! Thanks for saving me a seat." She smiled happily.

Amatis entered the room, her hair held up in tight chopsticks,"Good morning class. Let's get started! Today, we'll be focusing on how to expertly compliment light with shadows."

The class quickly got to work and all the weirdness from the morning seemed to melt away as Clary began producing strokes with her charcoal crayon. She took a deep breath; she had been silly. So what if Jace was interested in Kaelie? He was none of her concern. Besides, she had Sebastian; sweet, charming, homecoming date Sebastian.

The bell rung way too quickly and Clary sighed. Reluctantly she gathered her materials and did her best to balance her books and portfolio. Unfortunately, her best was not good enough and her things dropped to the floor when a girl bumped into her. A puddle of papers and a few books formed around Clary's feet and she bent down with a groan.

"You look like you're having a nice morning." A familiar voice said. Clary bit her lip and looked up to find Jace hovering over her with a smirk. _God, could he be anymore handsome? No! Clary, cut it out._

"Yeah, the best." She muttered, continuing to reach for her scattered things. All of the sudden a pair of black boots met the toes of her converses. She peeked through her fiery locks that had fell into her face and in one poise motion, Jace scooped up the rest of her things. Putting them in a neat pile, he placed it gently on her bent knees.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Don't mention it." He rose again. "You've got some talent." He said before disappearing down the hallway. Clary was a surprised, Jace had helped her? What happened to arrogant, infuriating Jace from last night? AND he thought she was talented? She looked down at the pile to see a few of her sketches laying on top.

SIMON POV

Simon studied the HOMECOMING DANCE poster for the 100th time and sighed. Perhaps him and Clary could go together as friends, take the pressure off of finding a date. He dragged himself away from the bright orange sign to walk to his next class. _No pressure to find a date. Clary and I would be guaranteed a good time, we could always leave early if it was lame,_

His thoughts came to halt when his eyes found Izzy at her locker a little farther down the corridor. She was looking into her mirror, applying some lip gloss. She smiled at her reflection when she finished and proceeded to grab her books. _Or…_ his mind wandered.

But would she even want to go with Simon? He didn't see why she would. A girl like that would never go for a guy like him.

 _But what if she said yes?_

A small voice in the back of his mind poked at him. Images of Izzy and him dancing, eating junk food at the buffet table, and laughing sprung in his mind. She seemed to be fond of Simon so far, maybe, just maybe, she'd be interested.

After an internal battle of yes and no, he resolved to ask her. _Be confident, girls like confidence,_ he said to himself. He could do this. He was Simon Lewis! He began to march over to her. No, he wasn't a jock or particularly buff or popular or any of those things really, but he was smart, kind, and funny. He had a lot to offer. She could say yes. He was now only a few steps away. No, no, she _will_ say yes. He nodded. Yes, this was going to happen.

"Hi Simon!" She smiled brightly when she saw him approach.

"Hey Izzy, I have something to ask you." Her face lit up. Yes, this was going to happen. Right now!

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. _No._ His body froze. _Don't choke now._

"Do, do you" He stuttered. She nodded in anticipation. _It's a simple question Simon, ask her!_

"I was wondering," he tried again, "would you like to," Her eyebrows rose, waiting for an actual question.

"I mean, do you, do uh," But, no matter how badly he wanted to say the words he just couldn't get them out.

 _What if she says no?_

He sighed, "Do you want to walk to lunch together?" He muttered. Izzy's face fell.

"Oh," She said, her cheeks turning red. Was she embarrassed? "Uh yeah, sure." She shut her locker and hugged her books tight to her chest, looking awkwardly at her feet.

 _Dammit Lewis._

CLARY POV

At lunch, Clary entered the cafeteria where she found Izzy waving ferociously from the middle of the room.

"Clary, Clary! Over here!" She flashed a smile. Clary waved back and headed over to find Simon already there, settled right next to Izzy. He looked a little down though. _What's eating him?_ Across, sat Alec.

"Hey Alec, what are you doing here?" She said, sliding in next to him.

"Switched some classes around, now I have lunch with you guys." He said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"As does Jace." Izzy chimed in, pointing over to where Jace stood talking with some girls.

Clary squinted and saw it was Aline Penhallow, Mr. Penhallow's popular, cheerleader daughter and her best friend, Helen Blackthorn. The weird feeling that had settled in Clary's stomach this morning resurfaced, but she pushed it away. She looked down at her lunch and fidgeted her fingers.

"Hey everyone." Jace said striding over. He slide into the bench across from Clary. "Just met the loveliest girls, said they're willing to show me around the city." He smirked. He then noticed Simon at the table. "I'm Jace, but you probably already knew that." Simon snorted in response.

"Please, they couldn't tell their left foot from their right, let alone make it through the city." Clary heard herself say, returning to the subject of Aline and Helen. She bit her lip instantly. Where did that come from?

"Woah Clary. Where'd that come from?" Simon laughed, her thoughts exactly. Jace kept silent but his eyes widened in amusement. Just then Sebastian approached the table.

"Hey beautiful." He said with a big smile, "Simon." He nodded, Simon gave a small wave. Sebastian sat down next to Clary, putting his arm around her. She shifted uncomfortably. She was used to Sebastian complimenting and touching her, but now for some reason she didn't want him to. _Why are you being so shy?_

She awkwardly played with her hair, "What are you doing here?" He usually had gym this period.

"Coach had a family thing, canceled his classes for today. So I get to hang out in here for the whole period. And lucky for me, my favorite girl just so happens to have lunch right now."

Clary looked around, "Where are the rest of the guys from class?" She asked him, but he had already began to pick at Clary's lunch.

"Hi everyone I'm Sebastian." He said, taking a bite of her apple. Izzy and Alec let out polite hellos, but Jace stayed quiet.

Sebastian noticed this. He swallowed the fruit, "Hey, I think you're in my history class. Jace right?"

"Right." Jace responded coldly.

It grew awkward quickly and Sebastian cleared his throat.

"So I was wondering if you could you help me with my art project?" He grabbed Clary's potato chips. "I'd really like to do something with a body of water. Like a lake or something, maybe an ocean."Clary opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off by the golden boy across from her.

"Or what about a dirty puddle, Seb? A little gravel here, some bacteria particles and mud there. A plus guaranteed."

"Jace." Izzy hissed, as if she was expecting this. He ignored her, keeping eye contact with Sebastian. Clary looked at her for an answer but she looked away.

Sebastian smirked, picking up on the hostility. "Good one man. I'll keep that in mind." He gave a fake smile. "Anyway," He turned fully to Clary, "I just think that we could do some really cool stuff with the reflection off the water. Maybe do a sunset." Once again, Clary began to speak but was interrupted.

"A sunset? Hmm, how original." Jace rejoined the conversation. Sebastian's eyes narrowed on him.

"Jace," Clary tried to intervene.

"So concerned about my project, maybe you want to help me out with it? Whenever you get your head out of your ass works for me." Sebastian spit. Jace smiled, clearly amused.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sebastian raised his voice.

"Oh, I don't have a problem. I've been having a lovely Wednesday so far." He said with a smirk. "You're the one who's all but foaming at the mouth, infuriated."

Sebastian stood up and Jace sat back comfortably, challenging him with his golden eyes. Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but stormed off instead. Clary was speechless, as was Simon. _What just happened?_

She turned to the other Lightwoods, but Alec and Izzy looked in other directions, clearly embarrassed.

Clary turned to Jace and he stood up confidently,

"I think I'll go hang out with my new friends."

He glanced over at Aline and Helen who were eyeing him, giggling and whispering. They sat with a few other girls, just as obsessed with him. "See you guys later."

And just like that he walked away. Like he hadn't just caused scene. _What just happened?_

IZZY POV

Izzy was more than thankful when lunch ended, the drama with Jace made the rest of the period awkward. The group had barely said a word when Jace left to hang out with Aline, there was nothing to say. She knew Clary wanted an explanation, and she probably owed her one. But she couldn't do that to Jace. He was an ass, but he was her brother after all. His would explain if he wanted to.

She strutted to her locker, hugging her books tightly to her chest again. Her mind shifted to her earlier encounter with Simon. She had caught him staring at the HOMECOMING DANCE poster for a while and when he came over, she was sure he was going to ask her. She had been embarrassed for getting her hopes up, not to mention disappointed.

She had assessed the possibilities and for a while, decided that he had the intentions of asking, but ultimately choked. However, the more she thought about it, the more that seemed unlikely. She opened her locker and began trading her morning books with her afternoon ones. He was so kind, and intelligent. He wouldn't be interested in someone like her, their personalities and hobbies were completely opposite. He deserved someone that could talk with him about what he loved. She shook her head, maybe she could ask Clary later in history…

Izzy looked up and found Simon walking down the hall again, only this time he wasn't alone. A girl accompanied him, shorter, with brown hair and brown eyes. She giggled at something he said. A sharp pang of jealousy erupted in Izzy's stomach.

"Hey Iz!" Simon said walking over. She smiled in response, unable to say much more. "Since you're new,

I thought you'd like to meet my friend Maia."

"Hi." Maia said with a soft smile.

Izzy swallowed, "Hi. I'm Isabelle."

The three spoke about classes and professors for a little, until the conversation faded out.

"Oh I forgot to ask you!" Maia said turning to Simon, "I'm heading to comic shop by apartment after school, are you down?"

"Duh. I want to pick up the next Death Note!" _Death Note? What the hell is that?_ Izzy thought.

"You're on to the next one already? Jeez, you and your graphic novels." She playfully swatted him.

 _Oh._

Just then the bell rang, "Well we better get going. It was really cool meeting you Isabelle."

She nodded, "Yeah, you too."

"See ya, Iz." Simon said before leaving with Maia. The two continued to plan their after school trip to the store. She felt herself frown.

 _See? You're not for him._

CLARY POV

After lunch, Clary couldn't get Jace out of her head. What was wrong with him? He had acted similar to her the night before, but this seemed…intentional. Like he deliberately wanted to get Sebastian angry.

And why did he go off with those girls? He couldn't seriously be interested in them could he? Did it matter to her? Why should it? Clary ripped the edge of paper in her notebook waiting for class to start. I mean who does he think he is anyway? Treating people the way he does and for no reason at all? Ugh. He was so UGH. Her emotions overcame her and she ripped out the whole sheet.

"Now what did that notebook ever do to you?" A voice taunted her. She sighed and her eyes looked up to find Jace standing over her. He smirked and slid into the seat behind her.

She turned confused, "What are you doing here?"

He leaned forward, "Well to swing having lunch with you all, I had to get some classes switched up. I got put into this as an elective."

"You're taking physics as just an elective?"

He shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a smart guy."

"Yeah, and you're also an asshole." She spat before turning in her seat.

She bit her lip realizing how mean that came off. She went to turn and apologize but had already begun class. Oh well, she shouldn't feel bad right? _He was horrible to Sebastian_. She had good reason to come at Jace.

Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

The rest of class she was oddly aware of his presence behind her; it made her unsettled, she crossed her legs and fixed her hair more than usual. To keep herself distracted, she constructed a fair apology for Jace. She would stand her ground, let him know he was wrong, but admit the comment was uncalled for.

Finally, the bell rung and she went to turn to him. But Jace sprung out of his seat and left without giving Clary the chance to speak. She gathered all of her things quickly and ran after him.

"Jace, Jace wait!" She called. He stopped but didn't turn around. She caught up to him and spun him. "Look about what I said I'm really sorry."

"It's fine Clary." He said curtly. She was going to reply with "Well I'm still sorry." But something else left her mouth.

"Did you treat Sebastian like that because he was with me?" She heard herself say. Crap. She froze. _CLARY._ He stared at her.

She swallowed, "I, I don't know where that came from." She really didn't.

He raised his eyebrows, "A bit egotistical of you isn't that Fray?"

She nodded in agreement. _Yes, it is._ "I'm sorry, I don't know why I asked you that. Just," she bit her lip hard, "you should apologize to Sebastian. He didn't deserve that." Her words sounded weak. How could she possibly reprimand Jace for his behavior after that?

He opened his mouth, but for fear of what he might've said, Clary intentionally cut him off, "I have to get to class Jace. Again, I'm sorry for calling you an asshole."

And just like that she scurried away, this time leaving _him_ speechless.

ALEC'S POV

"It was so embarrassing, you should've seen the look on Clary and Simon's face." Alec said into the phone. "He causes these scenes out of nowhere. I love him, but it's exhausting to deal with the damage he causes."

"I know, I know. But we both know Jace," Magnus responded. "and he isn't good at handling his emotions. He just needs some time to adjust and settle in."

Alec nodded to himself at Magnus' words. They stayed in silence for a minute

"I wish you moved with me." He said quietly into the phone.

Magnus sighed on the other line. "I miss you too. Can I come visit this weekend?"

Alec laid back on his bed, "That sounds great but,"

"But you still haven't told your mother about us."

Alec threw his arm over his eyes. "No." Magnus sighed again. "I promise I will. I just want my mom to get used to this new life. She doesn't need me to drop this on her in the middle of this kind of transition."

"You're right." Magnus said, Alec sighed in relief.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the kind words, I really appreciate it! Also, if there is anything you'd like to read more of, let me know and I'll do my best to include it.**

JACE POV

Late that night Jace tossed and turned in his sleep; a montage of nightmares flashed through his mind's eye. Of course, he was used to them, he had been having since he was young. Tonight though, tonight was different.

It was worse.

His dreams rapidly changed, all of them haunting and disturbing, but each one ended a figure appearing out of nowhere. She was anonymous, her face and body always shadowed. The only thing that gave any hint to who she was, were the bright red curls that fell down her back.

Jace groaned and sat up from another dream ending with Clary. He checked the clock on his nightstand, it read 3:07 AM.

 _Please,_ he silently asked God, _please_ _let me get some sleep._

CLARY POV

At school the next day, Clary brought up whatever she could to Sebastian to avoid the subject of Jace. She yawned recalling the phone call from the night before. Sebastian had gone on and on about how he was going to "kick the shit out of Jace", that Jace "would be sorry he ever transferred to Alicante." It was hours before Sebastian started to let it go, and only because he had tired himself out from ranting.

She approached her locker with him close behind her; once she had him babbling about some new play his football team was working on, she was able to tune him out for a moment. Clary immediately turned to the mirror on the locker door. Dark bags had settled comfortably under her green eyes and her red hair was un-brushed and unruly.

 _Jeez Fray, sleepless nights are not a good look for you._

After Seb had finally relented and went to sleep, Clary had been up for at least another two hours rehasing the conversation her and Jace after physics.

 _"_ _Did you treat Sebastian that way because he was with me?"_ She groaned internally. She was still mortified, but had fell asleep before she came to any sort of explanation. She had woken an hour and half later to get ready for school.

She attempted though; she patted her face to add a little color to her cheeks and ran a few fingers threw her curls. It wasn't a vast improvement, but it was better than nothing.

"Clary?"

She turned to Sebastian who was gazing at her expectantly.

"Uh what?" His eyebrows furrowed and she guessed he realized she hadn't been listening.

"So," He started, obviously repeating his sentence, "I know I may have dwelled on the situation with _Jace._ " His eyes darkening at the sound of the name. "But, I really appreciate you being here for me."

She smiled, secretly full of dread that their Jaceless conversation was over with, "Of course."

"Yeah, I think I'm finally over the whole thing."

"That's great Sebastian." Clary hoped the relief in her voice wasn't too obvious. _An end to all of this testosterone!_

He shrugged, "I figured as long as we stay away from him, he won't be a problem again."

Her brow furrowed. "We?"

IZZY POV

Izzy walked into English feeling a hundred times better than the day before. She had successfully talked herself through the disappoint she felt when Simon didn't ask her to the dance.

She had only known Simon for a few days, it was silly of her to expect anything more. They were building a friendship _. And there is nothing wrong with taking things slow._ She would get to know him and let the chips fall where they may. Besides, did she want to get involved with someone so soon? There was a whole school of people to meet and get to know.

She spotted Simon sitting towards the back of the classroom, chatting with Maia.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully, taking the seat on the other side of Simon.

"Hi Izzy." Simon's eyes lit up.

"I like your outfit today." Maia said, looking her up and down. Izzy nodded graciously. Today, she settled on a fitted black dress with shin-high ruby boots. She clutched the matching pendant she always wore on her neck.

"Thanks!" And she let her eyes shift to Simon, who coughed nervously when he was caught staring at Izzy a little longer than he should've. She looked down and hoped that neither of them noticed her blushing.

"So you guys excited about the dance?" Maia asked.

"Yes." Isabelle and Simon said simultaneously.

Maia smiled at them, "Yeah," her eyes reaching Simon, "It will be a blast, especially if you plan on taking someone special." Her tone was more challenging than conversational.

Izzy couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.

 _Maybe they are going together._

"Jordan and I are thinking about getting dinner at Taki's, then heading over. Maybe even getting a group together."

"Jordan?" Izzy asked.

"Oh sorry, Jordan is my boyfriend. You'll meet him soon enough."

 _Her boyfriend? She has a boyfriend!_ Izzy couldn't help the boost in her mood. _Simon and her are just friends._

"Simon, who are YOU taking?" Maia asked suggestively.

Simon gave her a look. She smirked. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"Well actually," He responded, turning to Izzy, "I was wondering, Iz if you,"

 _He's going to ask me._

"Enough chatter. It's time for a pop quiz!" Mr. Starkweather rushed in. Simon huffed in frustration, Izzy pouted.

After the pop quiz, Simon and Izzy kept stealing gazes. One would catch the other staring, then look away, only to catch the other doing the same thing a moment later. It was a torturous game.

Finally, the torture became exasperating.

 _Screw taking things slow!_

She hastily ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook, scribbled some words, and folded it up.

When Mr. Starkweather's back was turned she placed it on Simon's desk.

He gave her a confused look, and she nodded towards it. Gently, he opened it. Maia leaned over in curiosity. Soon, Simon's lips curved up into a smile.

He waited until Mr. Starkweather wasn't paying attention, and whispered, "I'd love to Izzy."

CLARY POV

Clary was anxious to get to geometry.

Sebastian had left for homeroom without further explaining himself.

 _We._

She tugged at the metal spirals that binded her notebook. Did Sebastian really mean what he said? That both of them would stay away from Jace? She understood that steering clear of Jace was a good idea for _Sebastian,_ but was it necessary for Clary to keep her distance too? What did she have to do with it?

And if he was serious, did Sebastian mean prolonged periods of being in each other's company? Even when other people were around? Or maybe, he meant just alone? But in what world would Clary and Jace ever hangout by themselves? Was she at least allowed to speak to Jace? Did she care? Or maybe, she was allowed to be around him as long as she didn't acknowledge him. Her mind wandered… would _Jace_ care? More importantly, did Clary want him to care?

"Clary!" She jumped, Maia had been trying to get her attention. She needed to quit zoning out.

"What's up?"

"Have you talked to Simon?"

Clary shook her head and realized she hadn't seen Simon since the whole lunch debacle. She had been so caught up in the drama, she forgot to touch base with her own best friend.

"Izzy asked him to the dance next weekend!"

 _Really? Go Simon!_

"That's awesome!" She responded, "Wait, she asked him?".

Maia giggled and nodded, "He was going to ask her, I guess he got a little nervous. She took charge. She's quite the girl."

Clary nodded with smile. _Good for them, they'll have a good time._

The thought of the dance reminded her of Sebastian, and her face fell. He entered the room, his good mood from this morning still present.

"Hey gorgeous." He sat down.

"Hi."

He made a confused face at her, "You good?"

She took a deep breath. _Just ask him Clary._

"Seb, before, what you said, "about avoiding Jace."

He nodded that he listening, but he was unsure of her point.

"You meant stay away from him? Like,"

"Like don't even waste your breath talking about him." Sebastian said a little sharply. Was this conversation going to be a problem?

"Both of us?"

"Both of us."

Clary swallowed, this had nothing to do with her. Why was she being punished?

And why did not being able to interact with Jace feel like a punishment, maybe she cared more than she thought. She shook her head.

"But Seb, it was one altercation. I don't, I don't think it was that big of a deal." She really didn't.

Sebastian could stay away all he wanted, but Clary didn't feel that it warranted her isolation from golden boy, too.

He sighed heavily, "Clary," and he reached out for her hand, rubbing the back gently with his thumb. "This isn't really up for discussion. It's pretty simple. He's an ass, _we_ shouldn't have to deal with him… so _we're_ not going to." And he shrugged and turned his attention to Ms. Blackthorn who was starting the lesson.

That's it? That was the end of it. Like Sebastian's word was final.

She wanted to ask him so badly what it had to do with her, but his eyes darted whenever she tried to make contact. Jace wasn't an ass to her, so why should she cease all communication?

She froze.

But hadn't he been? She only interacted with Jace a few times, the hallway being the only pleasant one. He could've just been being polite; I mean it's a new type of jerk to leave someone struggling on the ground The other times he had been,

 _Insulting and arrogant._

Why was Clary defending her relationship with Jace? It isn't like he's made her life easy since he's arrived.

 _Wait, now you have a relationship with him? Clary, you've known each other for a week, less than._

She exhaled in frustration, she needed to talk to Simon.

SIMON POV

Simon sat at his lunch table, his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. _Where is she?_ He kept his eyes focused on the entrance, scanning for a certain redhead.

 _EARLIER IN THE HALLWAY:_

"I think you should talk to Clary." Maia said softly while they strolled through the hallway. "She seemed really upset in geometry."

"Do you know why?" Simon asked concerned.

She shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure, I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I think her and Sebastian were arguing. I did hear them mutter about someone named Jace though."

 _BACK IN THE LUNCHROOM:_

He wanted to make sure Clary was all right. She had a temper, Clary. Losing it was easy, but it was usually for good reason. He hoped it was a miscommunication between the couple or maybe, by now, already fixed.

Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the table had filled, but there was still no sign of Clary. Simon's brow furrowed.

"Has anyone seen Clary?" Isabelle spoke, playing with a carrot stick. Alec and Simon shook their heads.

"Jace?" She asked. He was twirling an apple by its stem, he seemed distracted.

"No, I haven't seen her." He answered without looking up.

 _Why would_ he _have seen her?_ He thought Jace and Clary all but hated each other. Irritation settled in his bones; Jace better not have had anything to do with whatever was going on with Clary.

Simon's eyes flickered to the doors and Clary walked in, clutching a paper bag and notebook. She sauntered through the tables, approaching theirs's in haste. Her face fell a little when she noticed the only empty spot left, in between Alec and Jace.

She sat anyways.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Izzy asked when Clary settled in. Clary looked at her nervously, then to Jace, then down at her hands.

"I was stuck in the art room. I got caught up sketching, that's all."

It was silent for a moment, an obvious tension hovered over the table.

"Are you ok?" Jace asked, eyeing her. It was a little out of character for Jace to show concern for anyone, but himself but it was obvious why he did. Clary looked exhausted and just plain worn out. Her eyes were surrounded by purple bags, they themselves were a little red. _Had she been crying? Maybe the argument was a lot worse than I thought._

She let out a smile and began eating her bagged lunch.

"Okay," Izzy said trying to liven up the mood, "I have some really great news!" Everyone turned their attention to her. "We are having a party at our house this weekend!" She clapped her hands.

"We are?" Alec asked. "Since when?"

"Since Mom is going out of town this weekend."

"I don't know Iz. That doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Oh come on Alec, it'll be fun." Jace offered, winking at Izzy. Simon guessed it was probably Alec who always played Mr. Responsible when it came to Jace and Izzy.

"But what if Mom finds out? We'll all be grounded until God knows when and,"

She put a hand up, signaling him to stop speaking, "With her away, Magnus can spend the night." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. Jace smiled, knowing they had him.

Alec's OK was reluctant, but he definitely seemed to perk up.

"Clary, you can come over before and we can get ready together." She bounced.

Clary bit her lip, "I actually don't think I'm going to make it."

Izzy's face fell. Simon noticed a slight wince in Jace's, too.

"Why not?" Simon asked her.

"I just have a lot of work to do."

"But Clary," She pouted.

"I've got to go actually. I have to talk to one of my teachers about an assignment." Clary said, quickly grabbing her things and exiting the table. They all watched her with a mixture of confused and concerned expressions. _What the hell was that?_

Simon went after her.

"Hey, hey." He said catching up to her in the hallway. He pulled her elbow back towards him. "What just happened in there? You're acting a little strange."

Clary sighed. "It's nothing, it really isn't a big deal."

"You know I'm not going to let this go until you tell me Fray. And I've got all day." He smirked, leaning against the lockers.

She gave a shy smile, joining him. He watched her face scrunch as she assessed the issue internally, then she sighed.

"Sebastian was really upset over what happened with Jace and now he wants me to stay away from him. But I don't think I should have to, their problems have nothing to do with me."

Simon nodded while she continued, "I mean, we _just_ met with the Lightwoods and I'm not saying Jace and I have a great relationship but who knows? We could end up friends. And avoiding him may mean avoiding Izzy and Alec, I don't want that either. Besides, Sebastian can't just dictate my life as he pleases, right?"

Simon took all of this in, secretly wondering if there was another reason Clary was so hesitant to cut ties with Jace. He pushed it aside, she would've told him if _that_ was the case.

"You want to know what I think?" Simon asked, she nodded.

"I think they are both jerks." He shrugged, she laughed a little. "As for Sebastian, he can't tell you what to do, and you shouldn't let him. But… this may be coming from a place of fear. He obviously cares about you, maybe he doesn't know how to handle these emotions. Jace is attractive and popular with the ladies. Sebastian is probably nervous he'll lose you to Jace if you stick around him long enough."

Clary nodded at his words her eyes widening a little, Simon could tell Clary hadn't thought about it like that.

"Try talking to him again. Let him know that he's the only guy for you. It'll reassure him of you two and he'll no doubt loosen the reigns.

"I do like Sebastian, a lot. He makes me happy when he's not trying to be my father." She smirked and looked down at her hands, mentally assessing again. "You're right Si, I should talk to him again."

"And if he's still acting like a jerk, you dump his ass." Simon added.

JACE POV

Jace walked into history and sat alone in the back, despite the pleading eyes of every girl in the room. His progress with the ladies had been remarkable, but the guys weren't exactly jumping at the chance to be his friend. He knew this would be the case. Transferring to a new school is difficult enough, let alone doing it senior year. Everyone has already established their group of friends and are usually hesitant to welcome in strangers.

He had considered trying out for a sport. He was talented enough, there were few things he didn't excel at. It would definitely close the friends gap. But to be honest, he was hoping to just kick back this year. Last year was such a mess; he had been looking forward to no drama.

But of course, three days in, he had already blown that with the Sebastian confrontation. He hadn't been able to stop himself though, his emotions had overcome him.

 _Emotions you have yet to sort out, Wayland._

 _"_ _Did you treat Sebastian like that because he was with me?"_ Clary's voice rang in his head.

Sebastian rolled in with a few of his buddies, giving Jace the same challenging glare he had yesterday after the lunch. Sebastian seemed to be all talk and passive aggression, no action. Jace rolled his eyes and looked out the window.

He could apologize to Sebastian, patch things up. It would definitely please Izzy, she had been so angry with him yesterday for causing a scene. But he knew if he did say sorry, it wouldn't be for Izzy.

 _"_ _Did you treat Sebastian like that because he was with me?"_

And what was up with Clary today? She looked awful and had barely been receptive. She rarely touched her food, did she finish when she left? He wondered if Simon had successfully talked her down.

 _Enough of all of this high school drama_.

His mind scolded him. He had other things to worry about. His mind drifted to thoughts of his parents, parents who weren't biologically his, parents who no longer wanted to be together. When he joined the Lightwood family, it had been nothing short of a blessing.

His life for the majority of his childhood had been… interesting. A potent mixture of love and pain inflicted on him by a man who is now deceased. Yes, the Lightwoods had done their best to raise Jace promisingly after his father's death, but his; lessons and ways of life had already been embedded in young Jace Wayland turned Lightwood. And as much as he wanted to hate the man for molding Jace's more than difficult character, it was the first father he knew and it was hard to let that go.

The divorce would be painful for all of the children of course, but everyone thought Max would handle it the worse. He was too young to watch his parents' love fall apart, how could this not be traumatic for him? But, over the past few months no one had sensed how badly Jace Wayland was handling it. The Lightwoods had been Jace's first real family. They cared about him and they provided everything he needed. What a nice change it had been from the life he knew.

But, being the adopted one, he was cast to the side. Relatives had called, wishing their best and offering shoulders to cry on – but only to Alec, Izzy, and Max. He eventually came to the realization that in the eyes of outsiders, the separation between Maryse and Robert would result in pain only applicable to the _true_ Lightwood children. The divorce only stressed that his role in the family was hardly valid, he was a charity case taken on years ago, and still looked at that way. He couldn't possibly be hurting the same way the biological Lightwoods were. But he was, he so was.

CLARY POV

Clary felt a million times better after speaking with Simon, he was right. Sebastian's feelings were valid; he was just having trouble handling it. She would talk to him and lay all of his anxieties to rest. When she saw Izzy in history, Clary was able to diffuse a line of concerned questioning by telling Iz she hadn't been feeling well, but that she may be able to go to the party after all.

 _Pending this conversation with Sebastian goes as planned._

This pleased Izzy to the point where she forgot all about Clary's behavior at lunch. A party would be fun, especially with the Lightwoods. She hadn't been to their house yet; it was probably beautiful. She wondered about Izzy's room; Iz probably had a huge canopy bed, vanity, walk in closet, it would be a blast to get ready with her again. She headed to physics with a smile.

In she walked, immediately spotting Jace in the seat he sat in yesterday. She huffed. She hadn't thought about show he was going to handle this yet. She believed all would be fine with Sebastian once she spoke to him, but what about until then?

And what about yesterday after lunch? Would Jace bring that up again? She would die of embarrassment. She made the decision to not put in any huge effort to interact, but keep it civil.

"Hello, Jace." She spoke kindly, he looked a bit surprised. She slid into her seat.

"Ms. Fray." He responded, jokingly formal. She smiled to herself. _So far, so good. No drama._

Neither one of them spoke to the other after that, they simply waited for Mr. Graymark to begin teaching. And when he did, the anxiety that plagued her yesterday was gone. She felt… comfortable with Jace behind her. And what a big difference it was from yesterday! 24 hours earlier they had sat in the same seats, basking in tension. Now, it was calmer, diffused.

The bell rang soon enough and Clary walked out at a comfortable pace.

"Hey." She heard Jace behind her. She stopped to turn, inadvertently allowing him to catch up with her. She nervously glanced around; exchanging quiet hellos in the privacy of a classroom was one thing, but outwardly interacting with him in the middle of a crowded hallway was another. Why did she feel like she was committing a crime?

"I have to get to class, Jace." She said, beginning to walk.

"So do I." He followed, "What? Is talking while walking a task too difficult for you, Fray?" He smirked and surprisingly, so did Clary. The comment didn't have the usual sinister undertone Jace usually added to his words, was just trying to be funny. She caught herself smiling and bit her lip. Now they were walking together.

 _Not good, not good._

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, again." He said lowly, striding next to her. From left to right, girls paused to check out golden boy, some of their jaws dropping. Clary scanned the hallway as quickly as she could, trying to mentally note who was around. "I know Simon went to talk with you afterwards, but you seemed so off,"

They continued down the corridor, Clary's face scrunched when she saw a few cheerleaders who stopped to watch Jace. Would they tell Sebastian that Clary was with Jace? God, why was this so nerve-racking? There wasn't anything to tell Sebastian. Him, Clary, and Simon were the only ones who knew that this was wasn't allowed.

"I could tell you were nervous about something," He put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her to face him. The physical contact sent a small shiver up Clary's spine. He met her with concerned eyes. "Like you are right now."

Maybe, just maybe, she could tell him.

She opened her mouth, but was silenced when her eyes found Raphael Santiago standing at his locker, watching the two. Raphael was on the football team, and incidentally one of Sebastian's close friends. He was looking over with with raised eyebrows, then shook his head in a "you are so in trouble" kind of way.

 _Crap._ She knew Sebastian had mentioned his hatred of Jace to his friends, but she hadn't thought about whether or not he told them Clary was supposed to hate him, too. She suddenly felt very dumb.

If Raphael told Sebastian about this, letting up on the restrictions would be out of the question. It looked as if she was deliberately going behind Sebastian's back. He'd never trust her now, let alone give back her freedom.

She mulled it over quickly, Jace still waiting for an answer and Raphael still staring with accusatory eyes.

She came up with an idea and went with it, knowing damn well she didn't have the time to assess the consequences. She looked back at Jace.

"For the last time Jace, leave me alone!" She said sternly. Jace's face scrunched in confusion.

"Clary, what,"

"Just stay away from me, got it? I want nothing to do with you." She barked, in her most convincing tone. She looked to Raphael, who now had a satisfied look on his face. He nodded, buying Clary's words and walked away. _Phew!_ She turned back to Jace and was surprised to see two golden, wounded eyes staring back at her.

"Jace," She began to explain, panic weighing in on her body. _He thinks I meant it, he thought I was being serious._

"I'll stay out of your way." He nodded, his voice almost a whisper.

"No Jace, you don't understand." She tried.

"No need to explain, I get it. It's fine, I'll see you around," He paused, "Actually, I guess I won't." His face screamed defeat. "Bye Clary." And he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys, I actually uploaded the wrong draft of this chapter, so I deleted the one already posted and switched it with this. There aren't a lot of differences, it just wasn't the final one. Thank you again for all the reviews, and readers in general. You're all awesome. I can't wait to write the next chapter; I have a lot of ideas that I'm excited about!_

ALEC POV

Alec took a deep breath before walking into his final class of the day. Today had been…long.

It was hard being the new kid. No one was wanted to hang out with a _new kid_. Being the _new kid_ was like wearing a sign around your neck that read "OSTRACIZE ME, PLEASE."

Or at least that's how it seemed at Alicante.

His siblings had it easy; Jace was desired everywhere he went _._ If the men didn't like him, which they usually didn't, he had at least ten girls chasing after him. And if that didn't work out, which it usually did, he had his easy confidence to back him up.

And Isabelle was so outgoing, she could befriend anyone within seconds. Her charm and beauty were mere pluses compared to her outwardly nature.

Alec knew he was handsome like his brother and sister, but when it came down it, he lacked the personality.

He had always been shy and it plagued him his entire life. It was hard to shine when your siblings were natural born stars.

Avoiding unnecessary eye contact with the other students, he took a sit near the window. He should've switched into Jace's physics class. It would've been nice to have one academic period with someone he knew.

He sighed, watching kids take seats alongside friends, chatting and laughing. He just didn't have the same drive to interact with people, especially strangers. There wasn't this incurable need to make friends or fit in. Would it be nice to be able to easily integrate with others? Sure. But Alec wasn't about putting in any extra effort if it didn't happen right away.

This had caused him a lot of isolation throughout his life.

He had always been grateful for the adoption of Jace. He was Alec's polar opposite, but they understood each other and that was all that Alec really needed.

And of course, there was also the matter of his sexual orientation.

Alec being gay had never been the topic of discussion. He kept it a secret for most of his life, dealing with it all on his own. It had driven him crazy, keeping it bottled up, especially from Jace.

He shuddered, shortly reliving the period of time where he thought he had feelings for Jace. And what a nightmare that had been! Wanting someone that would never want you back is something Alec became very familiar with during his earlier years of adolescence.

But then, like the gods above had been specifically watching over Alec, he met the love of his life. Eccentric, creative, social butterfly, Magnus Bane. Never shy about his feelings for Alec, it had been like a breath of fresh air, someone noticing Alec before they noticed Jace or Isabelle. He brought the best out of Alec; always teaching Alec about himself and how to experience new things without abandoning his comfort zone.

The phrase, "where have you been all my life" had been the understatement of the century. Unfortunately, their fairytale romance had a big ugly cloud looming over it: Alec needed to tell his parents.

He wanted to, so badly. The sneaking around was fun for a while. The adrenaline and fear of possibly getting caught, that it was sort of _forbidden._

But eventually, their love grew and Alec found himself wanting to do more. Like bring Magnus to family dinners, hold his hand while watching TV in the living room, or simply talk about him freely around the house.

He had been ready to tell Maryse and Robert.

His mind wandered to a year earlier:

Alec peeked into the dining room where his parents sat, speaking quietly to each other. He exhaled deeply, "I'm so nervous." He turned back and leaned up against the wall by the grand staircase.

Magnus placed a hand softly on Alec's shoulder, "Alexander you don't have to do this. Not yet, anyway. I don't want you doing it if you're not ready."

Alec shook his head; he had backed out enough times already. It was time.

"No, no. I want to do this. I want to be with you. And I want people to know." He whispered. "Especially my family."

Magnus' eyes softened in response and Alec gave him a smile.

"I'll be right here." Magnus whispered back and took a comfortable seat on the bottom step. "Good luck."

 _Here goes nothing._

Alec walked into the dining room, going unnoticed by both of his parents.

"Mom. Dad." He regarded them when they didn't look up, they both jumped in response.

"Oh, Alec. We didn't see you there." His mother said, dabbing the corners of her eyes with her finger tips. Had she been crying? "Your father and I were just, uh,"

She looked at Robert with wide eyes.

"Talking." Robert finished for her.

"Mom? Are you alright?" Alec asked concerned.

In between his parents sat an almost empty bottle of wine, an almost finished glass placed in front of both of them.

Maryse didn't answer. His father stayed silent for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh, "Alec, take a seat."

Maryse's eyes darted towards Robert. "What are you doing?" She snapped.

"Maryse, please. We have to face this eventually."

"But shouldn't we tell them when they are all together,"

"Alec is the oldest. It's best if we tell him first."

They both turned to Alec, who had resorted to clenching his fists, "What the hell is going on?"

The rest of the conversation had been a huge blur. Robert had been messing around with a woman he worked with, Annamarie something. His mother and father felt they weren't strong enough to overcome the affair and were going to file for divorce. Alec had guessed his mother was too hurt by the situation to put any effort into mending the relationship.

They gave him the "it's not your fault" speech and asked him to keep it to himself until Maryse and Robert were ready to tell the other three.

Luckily, Magnus had been waiting outside the room, listening in on the conversation. He stayed over and talked Alec down, until his siblings had walked in. Against his parents' wishes, Alec was the one who broke the news to Izzy and Jace.

Since that night Alec had avoided coming out. It was too bad of an omen.

Unfortunately, he knew Magnus was becoming restless; he was more than ready to take their relationship public. He asked at least once a day about when Alec planned on telling his mother.

But Alec just couldn't do it. How could he? He had been about to share news he was in love, only to be met with the news that his parents' marriage was destroyed.

JACE POV

Jace couldn't shake his uneasiness all throughout the last forty minutes of school.

 _Get a grip, Jace._

But that seemed impossible. Clary had been so angry with him, there might as well had been flames burning in those green eyes of her. He knew he would push someone too far one day, but he hadn't expected it to be her.

It didn't make sense though. _She_ said hello to _him_ at the beginning of class; he even managed to make her smile. Her outburst had come out of absolutely nowhere.

He shook his head,

 _You went too far when you pissed off Sebastian. She told you to apologize and you didn't. You did this to yourself._

His face scrunched up in disgust. As emotionally consuming it all was, he was furious for letting this bother him so much. In the past he had done a lot worse, with much less regret, who cared if he didn't apologize?

The bell rang, dismissing the class for the day and Jace headed out.

He tallied up fifteen girls within his line of view that were ready to follow him like lost puppies. He gave a small group of sophomores a grin and watched them giggle in response.

Going over it all in his head one more time, he decided he was finished with caring about anything that had happened within the last 48 hours. He was starting to overthink it all and his mind was begging him to relax. The only conclusive thought he got out of everything was that it was all a waste of his time. He knew his brain would thank him for getting over it.

Jace felt his face lighten up as he reached his locker. He retrieved the things he needed for the night and slammed the door shut. He turned and saw Aline Penhallow across the hallway, her back to him. She was leaning up against a set of lockers with her hip cocked out, causing her cheerleading skirt to carefully hang right above her left thigh.

And what better way to make sure you were over something than to get under something else? Or, in Jace's case, some _one_ else.

CLARY POV

Clary stayed after school and resolved to talk to Sebastian right away.

 _The sooner I talk to Sebastian, the sooner I can explain everything to Jace._

She made her way out to the back of the school and headed towards the football field. Alicant High had done a good job with its campus; though right in the middle of Brooklyn, it was structured to feel like just as suburban as any other high school would. She squinted and could make out the team running drills on the green. She walked over quickly. She approached the chest-high (for her) fence that separated the field from the bleachers. Sebastian was there, fooling around with some of his teammates. One of them being Raphael. Sebastian caught her staring and waved.

She smiled and waved him over. He said something to his friends before jogging over to meet Clary.

"Hey! This is a surprise, you never come to my practices." He said. Clary felt a pang of guilt and made a mental note to show up to more of his practices. Preferably, when she didn't have an ulterior motive.

"Yeah." She laughed, deciding on how she should go about this.

"A-L-I- C-A-N- T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" boomed in her ears. Of course, the cheerleaders had practice to.

"I wanted to talk to you quickly, if that's cool?" She asked meekly. He nodded and folded his arms on the top of the fence. She supposed she could be straight forward with him and just ask him to let it go. Or maybe, she could tell him how she feels about him, reassure him of her feelings and once he's high on her words, sneak it in.

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" Again, the cheerleaders wooed and yelled. They were very loud.

"Sebastian, I like you. A lot. I can't remember the last time I liked anyone so much, or if I ever have..." He smiled warmly at her words.

 _Good, keep it up!_

She went on, "I laugh the loudest when I'm with you, I'm happiest when I'm with you. I've drawn you a bunch of times," she laughed without humor.

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" Again and again they repeated it, it was distracting.

She raised her voice, "I just think this whole 'no Jace' thing is stupid. Listen, he isn't a threat by any means. I mean, you're Sebastian Verlac,"

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" Clary was losing track of her own thoughts.

Her voice competed with the relentless chants of the cheerleaders, "You're captain of the football team, you're popular, you are so much fun to be around. You _have_ me."

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!"

"But… just because you have me, doesn't mean you can tell me what to do, you know? So please let this all go,"

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" She clenched the fence in frustration.

"I want to be able to talk to who I want to talk to."

"A-L-I-C-A-N-T-E, were the team that can't be beat!" Clary felt her tolerance leave her body and she snapped,

"Why are they so ANNOYING?" She yelled, whipping her head to the direction of the cheerleaders.

Her heart sunk.

Standing behind the screaming cheerleaders stood a familiar golden-haired boy and Aline Penhallow. Clary watched him slip a muscular arm around her waist and pull her towards his side. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled obnoxiously.

But, _how_? When did _they_ become so close? Clary wondered what he whispered in her ear to make her laugh. Was it something funny, like he did earlier, or was she just flirting?

"Clary!" She whipped her head back to the sound of her name.

Once again, Sebastian stood there, waiting for a response. _Crap. Crap. Crap. What did he say?_

As if he read her thoughts and sighed, " I said, I understand where you're coming from and it seems like you get where I am, too."

She nodded, willing herself to focus on what was happening right in front of her, rather than 500 feet beside her.

"And you're right. It's embarrassing to admit, but I overreacted a little." His voice became low, probably to make sure no one could hear him admit it.

Although her mind was reeling, she felt a huge weight fall off of her shoulders.

"I do like you a lot, too and I don't want to push you away because I get a little nervous sometimes and don't handle it all that well…"

 _Wow, this is really nice of him. See, Clary? Simon was right!_ She made a mental note to thank Simon for his advice when she got home.

He took her hands in his, "Which is why I want you to be my girlfriend."

 _Girlfriend?_

He had settled _her_ worries about being possessive by proving he could communicate, sure. But now, there was this new hesitance in her.

She had patiently waited for her and Sebastian's relationship to grow before anything serious happened, and now it seemed to be hitting her all at once. She wasn't ready to _belong_ to him. The limbo state of their relationship was kind of nice. No pressure, just fun.

But deep down, deep, deep down she knew that part of the reason she wasn't ready to say yes was attributed to Jace's arrival. There was nothing romantic between the two, barely anything even friendly. He had only come into her life only three days prior, but already he seemed like such an important part of her world.

 _That's because everything has been about him since you meet him that night._

The voice in her head was right; despite the hatred she had, or at least _thought_ she had, towards him, Jace had completely consumed her. And if it wasn't him himself, he was the underlying theme in whatever else was going on.

Sebastian waited patiently for an answer, but was taken away from the conversation for a moment to speak with his coach.

Clary breathed a sigh of relief, the pressure of giving an answer being momentarily lifted. What should she do?

She made sure Sebastian was engrossed in the conversation with his coach before letting her eyes move back towards Jace and Aline.

They were still standing together, but now they were holding hands. Clary felt her face scunch.

 _Why her?_ A quiet voice spoke in her mind.

Was it because she was head cheerleader? Was it because she was popular? Did Jace prefer that kind of girl?

For the first time in Clary's life, she felt…inadequate. Like she wasn't comparable. She had never been one to think highly of what she looked like physically, but she had been comfortable with it up until this point. Now, that had all gone out the window. She wasn't as pretty as Aline, or cool, or girly. She wasn't good enough, there was something better out there.

 _And Jace found it._

Jace removed his hand from Aline's to answer his cellphone. He spoke for a moment and hung up. He said something to her and swiftly planted a kiss her on the cheek before walking towards the opening in the main fence that surrounded the field. Clary's mouth gaped open as Aline touched her cheek excitedly. Aline squealed as she joined the other cheerleaders and they all gathered around her to hear all about golden boy.

 _He must really like her._

"So what do you think?" Sebastian's voice reappeared. Clary's eyes darted away from the cheerleaders and she looked down for a moment before locking eyes with him.

She forced a smile, "Yes. I'd love to."

IZZY POV

Izzy did her best to spread the word about her party on Saturday night. She knew she had been successful when she got caught walking behind two girls she didn't know gabbing about it.

 _And now Clary is coming!_

Laying down on her bed, she spread out on her black satin duvet. What a day it had been! And now, she was going to the dance with Simon! She closed her eyes and smiled, drifting off into a satisfied sleep.

CLARY POV

Clary woke with a jolt Thursday morning.

 _Ugh_ , she groaned, kneading her temples. This was the third night in a row she had barely slept.

She made a few futile attempts to get up and shower, but the exhaustion over the last couple of days was finally catching up to her. She laid back down.

"Clary?" Her mother, Jocelyn, knocked on the door. She groaned again in response, throwing her arm over her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Her mother asked, entering Clary's bedroom. "It's almost time for school, you aren't even dressed yet." She sat on the edge, gently shaking Clary's leg.

Clary whipped her arm off and sat up reluctantly. Jocelyn's eyes widened with concern, "You look terrible."

"Jeez, thanks." She snapped. Clary already knew the lack of sleep, _and drama,_ were really taking a toll on both her emotional state AND appearance. Her mother gave an apologetic look.

Jocelyn Fray was a beautiful person, inside and out. Very gracious, very honest, strong and confident. Knowing she had lost her father at such a young age, Clary had always admired Jocelyn's devotion and strength to raise a daughter on her very own.

Suddenly, Clary felt her eyes well up and before she knew it, she was spilling every little detail of the psat few days to Jocelyn. The arrival of the new kids, Sebastian's jealousy and controlling ways, him asking her to be his girlfriend, the unresolved and inexplicable feelings she had for Jace, and her new found low self-esteem.

"Everything has been so, so," Clary looked for a word to rightly sum up all of what she was feeling, "ANNOYING."

Jocelyn chuckled.

Eventually, so did Clary.

"Clary, you're 16 years old. All of this 'excitement' is expected. God, when I was younger, I was always getting myself into trouble with boys." She said, thinking about something for a moment, but shaking her head from the thought. "You are a lovely young woman, intelligent, too. You will figure all of this out. It seems so heavy because it's coming in waves right now. Things have a funny way of working themselves out on their own, you'll see." She smiled.

"I just need a break from it all. I'm not trying to run away from my problems, but I need to catch up with myself. Regroup or something…" Clary trailed off.

"I think that can be arranged." Jocelyn smirked.

IZZY POV

"Hi!" Izzy greeted Simon at his locker.

He smiled big. "Hey there."

She waited for him quietly while he got his lunch and books for his afternoon class.

"Shall we?"

Izzy's mind was preoccupied.

"Have you talked to clary today? She wasn't in art. Is she ok?" Her voice was low.

When Isabelle hadn't seen Clary in class, she was hit with a small wave of guilt. At lunch, Clary had seemed unwell to say the least. Iz had planned on making sure Clary was ok, but got sidetracked the moment Clary mentioned coming to the party. It hadn't been until this morning that Izzy realized how lousy of a friend she'd been for giving up so easily.

"Yeah. She's ok. She texted me this morning, she didn't feel well and took a sick day."

Izzy nodded, "And yesterday? When she stormed out of the cafeteria?"

Simon picked up on the concern in her voice, "Yeah we cleared that up. Is something wrong?"

"No, I just feel guilty for not trying harder when I knew she was upset." She shrugged, "I feel like Clary and I could be really close and I don't want her think that this is the type of friend I am. You know, blowing her off and acting like I don't care. Because I do, I just caught up…"

Simon chuckled, "Izzy, I'm sure Clary hardly noticed, and if she did she wouldn't be upset by it. Don't think too far into it." He put a hand on her shoulder, electricity buzzing through Izzy's arm. "She hasn't had a close girlfriend her whole life, she's happy she's met you. If it's really bothering you that much, why don't you text her or something?"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Izzy bounced. She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and quickly typed out a message to Clary. It didn't exactly compensate for yesterday, but it was a start.

She looked up to find a tall boy invading her personal space. His hair was black and hung a little long, his eyes green.

"Hey." He said with a suggestive grin.

"Uh, hi. Do I know you?" She asked.

"No you don't, but you definitely want to." He winked.

"I would?"

He nodded. Izzy turned to Simon, but he was looking down at his shoes.

"You're Isabelle Lightwood right?"

She nodded suspiciously, turning her head back to the boy. Why was Simon being so shy?

"The names Mel. I'm on the football team."

Was that supposed to impress her or something?

"Simon! Simon!"

Simon's head perked up. They all watched Maia walk briskly up to them, tears stinging her eyes.

"Are you ok? What's going on?"

"Its Jordan," She sniffled, "We got into a fight. A pretty serious one, I don't know,"

Maia's words faded as Izzy was pulled away by Mel's hand on her shoulder. Her face scrunched up in disgust.

"This doesn't concern us; why don't we talk over here?"

He upgraded from a hand on one shoulder to an arm around both.

"You have lunch this period right? Why don't you sit with me?"

 _Oh, gross._ He smelled like burritos that had been desperately covered up by cheap cologne.

Izzy looked to Simon, who was caught up hugging Maia.

"I usually sit with Simon, actually." She removed his arm with a little force. "Thanks for the offer though." Izzy said matter-of-factly.

He shrugged, "Well it doesn't seem like he wants to sit with you."

Izzy's smugness disappeared as she looked back to the others just in time to watch Simon slip his arm around Maia and take her down the hallway.

 _Bye?_

She knew Simon and Maia were close, but couldn't that have waited? Izzy had been all but drooled on by this arrogant Neanderthal, didn't Simon care? She didn't need him to be _jealous_ per say, but it would've been nice for him to step in, back her up, or something rather than just ditching her.

A goodbye would've been nice.

Izzy looked at Mel who was patiently waiting like a puppy dog, rolled her eyes, and stormed away.

JACE POV

Jace sat down next to Alec who was greedily staring at two slices of pizza, a basket of cheese fries, and a chocolate pudding.

Jace winced at the sight. Maryse didn't have the time to make them lunch these days, so they were becoming familiar with buying it from the cafeteria.

No, the cafeteria didn't offer the broadest selection of beneficial meals, but Jace and Isabelle were dealing with it pretty well.

It had been like this ever since the first day. Alec would grab whatever comfort food he could find. And Jace all about indulging now and again, but this routine was getting unhealthy.

It was so out of character for Alec to be so lax about what he put into his body. Usually, he was Mr. Strict and Sensible.

"You keep this up and you'll be able to trade archery for sumo wrestling." He pointed at Alec's tray. Jace stopped for a moment to realize Alec hadn't been shooting since they moved.

Alec froze mid chew and proceeded to swallow a few fries.

"Very funny." He rubbed the salt off of his hands. "My eating habits are none of your business and if I want to indulge, I will." He snapped.

Jace raised his eyebrows in surprise at Alec's tone.

Alec closed his eyes, "I'm really stressed out right now."

Suddenly Izzy came in like a hurricane, sitting down with her arms crossed. She let out an aggressive huff.

"And obviously I'm not the only one." Alec sighed. He lifted a slice of pizza. "What's up with you?" He asked before taking a big bite.

She shook her head, "Nothing, I'm fine. I just need to talk to clary, I think." She pouted. "But she's out today..."

Out? Was she sick?

 _Don't go there Jace_.

"I'll just wait until tomorrow." She sighed and looked down at Alec's food. "Yikes. That's a lot of fat on that tray."

Alec rolled his eyes.

Jace left the table and headed for the lunch line, his stomach growling in agreement. Where Alec seemingly couldn't stop eating, Jace hadn't had much of an appetite lately. He silently worried it would take effect on his body.

He was too distracted at the sight of some "mystery loaf" to watch where he was going and suddenly found his chest pressed up to someone's back.

Sebastian turned around.

 _Of course._

Jace outwardly sighed, _Here we go, again._

Sebastian didn't intimidate Jace, Jace just simply didn't have the energy to deal with Sebastian's pettiness.

"Sorry about that," Sebastian said.

 _What did he just say?_

"I was holding up the line. My bad." Sebastian finished before walking towards the cash register.

Jace blinked, was that it? No empty threat of violence? Not even an insult? Jace could physically feel the confusion on his face.

He continued on, mechanically grabbing a piece of fruit and another food item that was unidentifiable. Come to think of it, Jace hadn't remembered Sebastian growling at him earlier in history. That meant that Sebastian had simply walked in and took his seat. Where did all of this civility come from?

A bit intrigued, he assessed the possibilities.

He momentarily considered that this had been Sebastian's form of submission to Jace.

That was usually the case; Jace was so desensitized and unbothered by this kind of stuff that usually the other person would let their anger grow, realize there was no getting through to Jace, and let go of grudge out of exasperation. And if Jace did care, he had become an expert at hiding it.

He shook his head.

But that couldn't be it, it was too soon after the fact. What could've happened between yesterday and today to change Sebastian? A flashback of Clary's outburst popped into his head. There was a complete reversal of their attitudes.

Maybe things between Sebastian and Clary were over? Maybe Jace's stunt was too much and Sebastian backed out.

That would explain why Clary was so upset with him. Maybe Sebastian's anger had been from jealousy, rather than pride and without Clary, Sebastian had no reason to hate Jace anymore.

 _Makes enough sense._

He paused.

 _Nice going, you're the reason she's unhappy now._

He shook his head.

 _Don't go there, Jace._

He sighed, or maybe, just maybe, Sebastian wanted peace.

For someone who usually criticized others for wasting their time overthinking, Jace sure did it a lot.

Paying for his food, he headed back to his table. It was still only Isabelle and Alec when he arrived. He hadn't bothered wondering where Simon was.

"We can't just rely on the alcohol mom has stashed in the cabinet. We'll have to pull together our money or something and make a trip to the liquor store." Izzy said to a clearly unwilling Alec. Jace sat back down. "It'll be worth it when our party rocks."

Jace sat back and enjoyed the mindless chatter of his siblings.

CLARY POV

Clary woke up peacefully in her bed and glanced at the clock, 4:00 pm. She smiled.

After she let Simon know she wouldn't be joining him on their daily walk to school, she fully gave in to her massive exhaustion.

She sighed, it was exactly what she needed. She had rested enough and was pleased to find a few messages from Isabelle and Sebastian, wishing her to feel better.

Clary sat up and padded to her bathroom to wash her face. Afterwards she slowly made her way downstairs in search of her mother.

She was so grateful that her mother had taken it easy on her this morning, she thought maybe she could cook Jocelyn dinner as a thank you.

As she neared the bottom of the stairs, she heard her mother talking. Expecting it Jocelyn to be on the phone, Clary was surprised to hear muffled responses by someone else.

 _Who is here?_

Trying to listen in, she lowered herself to the next step, causing an obnoxious creak.

"You better go," Jocelyn said quietly. "Clary must is awake."

 _Does she not want me to know who is here?_

"Jocelyn," The voice pleaded. It definitely belonged to a man.

 _What man could be here to see my mother?_

"Luke, please. I'll call you tomorrow." Jocelyn said.

 _Mom doesn't know a Luke…_

Clary heard Jocelyn shuffling him out the door.

Determined to find out who Jocelyn was hiding from Clary, she ran down the rest of the stairs and rounded the staircase into the kitchen. Clary watched the door shut quickly

All of the suspense still hung in the air, but Jocelyn was standing at the counter, pretending to be busy chopping vegetables.

"Mom?" She asked.

Jocelyn turned swiftly, "Clary! You're awake. How are you feeling?" Clary nodded, she was fine.

"I was just about to start cooking dinner. Do you want to help me? I was thinking, afterwards, maybe we could sketch together?" Her mother forced a bright smile.

She was trying to lure Clary's attention away from asking any questions. Her brow furrowed, but she took pity on her mother and said yes. The relief on Jocelyn's face was obvious.

 _She thinks I didn't see or hear anything._

The door may have closed quickly, but Clary had been fast enough to steal a glance of the mystery man.

Why had Mr. Graymark been at Clary's house?


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry this update took a little longer than usual. I decided to change a few things in order to keep the pacing of the plot realistic. I still have the same ideas for the story, I just wanted to add some more build.**

 **You guys are the best, seriously. Enjoy!**

"So apparently, Jordan is having a tough time at home and he'd been taking it out on Maia…" Simon went on. He was catching Clary up on everything that happened while she was out. Although it had only been one day, it felt like she had missed a lot. "He flipped out on her before lunch yesterday, and she just couldn't handle it. They're on a 'break' now, or whatever that means."

"Poor Maia." Clary sympathized. She looked at Simon, he didn't answer. She studied his face and realized there was something wrong. He wasn't giving much away, but he was definitely tense.

"Ok, you're turn."

"My turn what?"

She purposely bumped into his side, "I know you better than that Si, what's wrong with you?"

He sighed as they walked across the street.

"I was able to comfort Maia, you know, talk her down. But to do it, I kind of blew off Izzy." He looked down at his feet. "I just felt so uncomfortable. Mel had come over, the one on the football team, you know him. You should've seen him trying to flirt with her. I just kind of clammed up and removed myself from the situation."

"Why?" Clary asked, heading up the stairs to their school. She let out a silent "thank you" that they weren't late.

"I don't know Clary, he's him and I'm, well, I'm me." He opened the door for her, "He's tough to compete with."

"Oh don't be so stupid." She said as he followed her in. Simon didn't usually compare himself to others, but she figured that he was so taken with Izzy, he was probably ultra-self-conscious. "Simon, Mel has got nothing on you. You're an amazing guy, and all Mel has is an ego built up by mediocre football plays and burping competitions."

Simon smirked and she shrugged, "Its true."

If only he could he how wonderful he was.

They came to the section in the hallway where they needed to separate.

"I'll catch you in lunch." He said, heading for his locker. She waved.

Clary looked into her mirror on her locker door when she opened it and breathed a sigh of relief. The day of rest had definitely done its job. The bags under her eyes had almost completely cleared up and her hair had regained its shine.

Yes, all together it had been a pleasant day. Although, she still didn't know why Mr. Graymark had been at her house. It had bugged her all evening, but whenever she was ready to bring it up, her mother moved on to something new to discuss. It was almost as if she could sense Clary was going to mention it.

She turned her head and saw Sebastian heading towards her.

Sebastian, her boyfriend.

Another perk of playing hooky, she had time to work out her feelings on _that_.

She came to the realization that whatever she had been feeling for Jace wasn't tangible. She had got caught up in the excitement of something new happening at Alicante and that was it. Her heart was with Sebastian and she was genuinely happy to be dating him officially.

"Hey you, feeling better?" He asked before kissing her on the cheek.

She nodded, "Yeah I don't know what came over me. But I feel great, actually." She smiled and played with his fingers, feeling particularly flirty. "So, do you want to do something tonight? I was thinking maybe a movie."

"Ah-em."

Clary and Sebastian turned to Jace, who had approached quietly.

He nodded politely, "Clary."

She smiled meekly but kept her eyes on Sebastian.

 _What did Jace want?_

She hadn't spoken to Jace since Wednesday afternoon; for all he knew, she still wanted him to keep his distance, so why was he here now?

Clary tried to gauge whatever Sebastian was feeling, but failed to pinpoint a specific emotion.

 _Please, please keep it civil. Whatever Jace wants, please just stay cool._

"Sebastian…" He began, looking at Seb carefully. Clary's scalp prickled at the smooth sound of Jace's voice. Was he going to start something, again?

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day. It was, well, uncalled for to say the least." Jace's eyes softened.

 _Wait. What._

"I'm awfully sarcastic and like to have fun with people," He sighed, "But sometimes I can take it too far, and it can be interpreted as malicious. That was not my intention and I'm really not looking for any kind of drama. So, I am sorry."

Clary felt her mouth drop open.

 _Is this actually happening?_

Sebastian blinked, but before he could answer, Jace continued on.

"And Clary," He murmured, facing her.

A small voice rang in her ears, _your name sounds good coming from his mouth._

She mentally scolded herself, _Not now!_

"The same goes for you. I'm sorry as well. Monday night I,"

Oh no, she had never told Sebastian that she had been with Jace at the bar. Her eyes widened.

"What do you mean the other night? You were with him?" Seb said, cutting Jace off. His neutral state was obviously disappearing as he crossed his arms defensively.

Clary opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say. Telling Sebastian wouldn't have been a big deal if she had mentioned it prior to Wednesday. But now, Sebastian was so sensitive to the subject of Jace, that this was sure to set him off.

Plus, it looked like Clary had lied to him. Lied by omission anyway.

Jace eyed her and cleared his throat, "Yeah the other night,"

 _Oh no, what is he going to say?_ How could she stop this from blowing up in her face?

"She was over at my house," He explained, Clary mentally calmed when she realized he had caught on. "To see Izzy." _Good call. "_ They were doing homework together, I said a few things in passing, that's all."

Jace was so confident, Clary almost believed it herself.

How did he manage to come up with that so quickly?

Sebastian nodded, seeming to buy it. "Okay, well," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Thanks."

It was a little uncomfortable, but thanks to Jace's apology, there definitely wasn't any negative tension anymore.

Sebastian looked beyond Clary and excused himself to talk to a friend, leaving her alone with Jace.

"That was really nice of you." She said approvingly.

"Yeah, well I figured I had been a little unnecessary the other day. There was no reason to be so mean to him."

 _I guess it hadn't been about me._

"Or you." He added.

She shrugged, "Its fine. Uh, and thank you."

His brows furrowed.

"For not mentioning seeing each other at the bar."

"Do you keep things from him often?" He inquired, leaning against the neighboring locker.

"No...I just hadn't gotten around to it."

It was silent for a moment.

Finally, she bit her lip and peered at him. "Look Jace, about the other afternoon, I didn't mean any of those things that I said."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It had been… a long day. I was upset about some things and I acted out. It was a strange thing for me to do, but I'm sorry. Really."

He nodded, "What were you so upset about?"

"Don't worry about it." She said quietly.

He looked down, "So…" He started slowly, playing with a ring on his finger.

It was silver and had a _W_ engraved on the face. Clary had never noticed it before, but it was beautiful. She wondered if he wore it every day.

"You don't want me to stay away from you?"

He looked up, locking his amber eyes with her emerald ones.

Clary's breath hitched and she could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. She had to remind herself that even though it felt so loud, he couldn't hear it.

Their past interactions had been a medley of arguments, snarky comments, states of motion, and quick look away's.

But the intensity of him staring at her was something else.

Everything and everyone around them sort of drifted away, the only interruption were the sporadic blinks of their eyes. It was as if his magnetic pull was tethering them, she didn't want to look away, she wanted to move closer.

She snapped out of the moment and felt herself blushing, "No, I don't" She whispered. She looked away.

 _What was that?_

Clary kept her eyes on the inside of her locker, "So you forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me."

She looked back to give him a friendly smile, careful not to linger again.

She had to submit some drawings to Amatis since she was absent yesterday, and knew that meant carrying more things than she could effortlessly manage. Reluctantly, she began to pull out her books, followed by her portfolio. She attempted to hold them comfortably, but her books began to slip out of her hands.

And just like that, a muscular arm was there to catch them all. Jace's outstretched arm made his shirt sleeve ride up, revealing a few tattoos on his bicep. Another thing she had never noticed.

Like his ring, they were beautiful and unique; markings wrapped around each other, weaved and intertwined skillfully. Clary didn't fully recognize them, but they seemed oddly familiar…

"Got it." Jace pulled her from her thoughts, "Cat-like reflexes just happen to be one of my many, _many_ talents." He winked and she tried to stifle a smile, but failed.

He paused before handing the books back to her, "Do you need help carrying all of this? I can bring these to your homeroom for you."

That sounded really helpful, Clary was about to say, but she was interrupted.

"I can help her with that." Sebastian said, taking the books from Jace a little forcefully.

Jace gave them up without a fight and raised his hands in surrender. "I was just asking."

The bell rung and Jace dismissed himself to get to homeroom. Clary willed herself not to watch him leave and to concentrate on Sebastian.

"So you were saying, movie tonight?"

She shrugged distractedly, "Sure."

He looked in Clary's locker mirror, and passed her books back to her so he could fix his hair. Finally, when he felt it looked perfect, he turned his attention back to her.

"I'll see you later, beautiful." He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared, leaving Clary to carry her books and portfolio alone.

SIMON POV

Simon dragged his feet to lunch.

English had been a bust; Maia was still upset about Jordan and while he did the best he could to offer advice, he had been more interested in how Izzy was feeling. He went out of his way to try to interact with her, but it had been awkward each time.

Deep down he knew that she was uncomfortable from the previous day.

He wanted to kick himself. Mel had blatantly showed an interest in Isabelle, and Simon had stood there like an imbecile, staring at his sneakers.

 _You might as well have put a bow on her and handed her over to him._

Were him and Isabelle official? No.

But he didn't want to risk anything that might ruin the chance of that happening in the future.

In the cafeteria he could see Isabelle and Alec's raven haired heads. He headed over with a sigh.

"Hey guys." He said weakly, sliding into the bench next to Izzy.

Alec nodded and took a bite out of a greasy burger.

"Hi." Izzy said quietly.

She was still bummed out. He had to think of some way to make it up to Izzy. But, what could he do?

"Hi guys". Clary smiled big, walking to the table. She seemed to be in an unusually good mood.

Izzy sighed, "Hi Clary."

Hmmm, maybe it wasn't just Simon that had Izzy feeling down. She had no reason to be cold to Clary.

"Izzy, what's wrong?" Clary said, unwrapping her sandwich.

Izzy pouted. Simon looked at her with a concerned expression.

"Party at our house has been postponed." Jace said, slipping in across from Clary. "Iz, is taking it pretty hard."

 _Oh… that's why._

Simon couldn't help but be a little disappointed that he didn't have as much of an effect on Izzy as he thought he did. He also felt foolish.

 _It isn't like you're her universe! Why would you be the only reason she could possibly be bummed?_

"What happened?" Clary asked, her eyes lingering on Jace before turning to a now-speaking Alec.

"Turns out Izzy got the dates mixed up. Our mom is going out of town NEXT weekend." He said, opening a pudding cup. "We told her that it just means we'll have it next weekend, but she's still acting like a baby."

"I am not!" She crossed her arms.

He pointed at her with a spoon, "Then quit your whining."

She glared at him; half angry, half embarrassed.

"You know Iz, having it next weekend could be awesome." Clary picked at the meat in her sandwich, "It can be like an after party for homecoming or something." She suggested.

Izzy's eyes lit up, "I didn't even think of that. That is such a good idea, Clary!"

Simon mentally kicked himself, why couldn't have he had thought of that?

A light bulb went off in his head.

"Hey, so I know the dance is on Saturday, but uh Friday night, if you guys don't have plans, my band is playing at a local venue, the Alto Bar."

Simon heard Jace ask Clary if she was going, but their conversation faded into the background when Izzy turned to him.

"You're in a band?" She asked, genuinely interested.

 _Girls like guys in bands. Good call, Simon._

"Yeah, me and a few of my friends started it a few years back. We're pretty good."

"They're called Dank Hollow." Clary chimed in proudly.

"Uh actually, we had another name change. It's Cherry Pie Venom, now."

Clary rolled her eyes. He sympathized with her, Simon's band changed names often.

Too often.

He turned back to Izzy, "I play bass."

She smiled and Simon returned the expression, it seemed like she was warming back up to him.

"Hey Ms. Lightwood, looking good today." Mel's voice hovered over the gang. He stood at the end of the table.

Izzy rolled her eyes and didn't answer.

He set his hands down and leaned forward on them, invading Clary and Jace's personal space. "I was thinking," He went on, ignoring their obvious irritation. "If you don't have a date to the dance, I'd be more than willing to take you."

She scoffed, "Someone else _is_ taking me."

"Right." He removed his hands from the table and crossed his arms casually. "Well if they can't show you a good time, let me know. I can make up for what they lack." He added a wink onto the end.

Simon noticed Jace and Alec flinch a little. Hearing a guy talk about their little sister that way was probably more than uncomfortable.

But Simon knew this was for him. The universe had listened to his pleas and was now giving him the chance to make up for his stupidity yesterday. He replayed his and Clary's conversation from this morning to build some himself up. After a moment, took a deep breath,

 _Here goes nothing._

"Look Mel, she's not interested and she never will be." Everyone turned their attention to him. Surprised expressions wiped on all of their faces. "You're only embarrassing yourself here, man. So why don't you go find someone else? That is, if you can find someone stupid enough to give you a chance." He spoke with all the confidence he could muster up, but his hands were shaking violently under the table.

Mel was not the type of person you spoke this way to.

Speechless, Mel looked to Izzy, who now had a wide grin on her face. She nodded to back Simon up and scooted closer to him.

Mel clenched his fists, momentarily frightening Simon, but ended up storming away.

Simon's body visibly relaxed and he exhaled deeply. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

Alec nodded with a laugh, "Nice job."

"I didn't think you had it in you. Well done." Jace added.

Clary smiled big and mouthed, "Awesome."

She gave a little nod towards Izzy's direction and Simon's eyes followed. She was staring at him, completely in awe. He had done good.

She slipped a hand under the table, and gave one of his nerve-racked hands a light squeeze.

CLARY POV

The rest of the day had been uneventful, but Clary was in a great mood as she headed outside and down the entrance steps.

Was it that her and Sebastian were finally back on track? Maybe it was because the weekend had finally arrived.

Or, maybe it was Jace.

During physics, the two had paired up to work on some problems and somehow managed to make kinetic energy something to laugh at for the entire period, much to Mr. Graymark's dismay.

She smiled to herself at something Jace said, while making a mental note to make another attempt at finding out why Mr. Graymark was over the day before.

Her phone rang. The Caller ID read Simon.

"Hey! What's up?" She asked, kicking some rocks on the ground.

"Clary! Where are you? I need help!" Simon said urgently. He sounded scared and out of breath.

Clary's blood ran cold. "What? Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not." He panted into the phone. "Mel and his friends. Chasing me. They threatened me, Clary. They said they were going to, shit!"

Clary heard voices in the background:

"There he is!"

"Grab him!"

"Mel is going to kick the shit out of you."

Their voices were loud and aggressive and Simon's yelping faded into the background.

The line went dead.

Clary froze. They sounded serious.

She gulped, Simon could hold off maybe one person, but there was more than one of them.

His voice rang in her ears; they were going to hurt him. And by how angry they sounded, badly, too.

She had to do something, but what?

Her mind blanked as she tried to assess the situation. Her breathing escalated and she feared she was about to have an anxiety attack.

Clary fought the panic trying to overrule her train of thought and racked her brain for a next move.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare, whoa Clary are you alright?" Jace asked, his eyes widened at the look of her.

 _Jace!_

"Simon, he's, he's in trouble, Jace. They have him, and they're going to hurt him! Please, we have to help him!"

She was almost hysterical. She grasped Jace's forearms in desperation.

"Hey, hey. Slow down. Who's going to hurt him?"

"Football team."

Jace nodded, "Ok, ok. Where is he?"

"I don't know. I don't know but we have to find him! Now, we have to!"

Jace thought for a moment, "Alright. Don't worry we'll find him." He looked up and scanned the street, spotting a police officer.

He looked back to her, "Clary, stay here. I'll be right back, ok? Just try to stay calm."

He jogged over to the officer.

Jace approached the police man and the two started talking.

After another minute, Clary just couldn't take it. Her fear was rising at an alarming pace. She couldn't just _wait_ , what if they were really hurting him? What if they were hurting him right this second?

Her anxiety overrode Jace's plan and orders and she found herself running.

 _Ok, he had said was heading to his house before band practice. It must be some place on the way. You can find him, Clary. You can do this._

She ran through the streets, following the path Simon usually took to get home.

She tried calling his phone again, but no answer. She peeked down every alley she passed, looked into every window of every store, and surveyed every person at the parks and playgrounds. She called and again, there was no answer.

She continued running until she finally heard some familiar laughing coming from an alleyway off of a building slightly detoured from the regular route to Simon's.

Slowly Clary approached it, careful not to make a sudden noise. She put her hands on the brick wall and peered around the corner.

Sure enough, Raphael and another football player, Bat, were on each side of Simon, holding his arms tightly. Mel stood in front of the three.

"You think you can get away with talking to me like that?" He spat. "Who do you think you are? Acting all tough and mighty for your girl, don't seem so tough and mighty now, do you Lewis?"

Simon's left eye was swollen, just above it, a cut was gushing blood.

His friends laughed while Mel proceeded to sucker punch him in the gut.

Clary winced and gasped, tears stinging her eyes.

Simon yelped and lurched forward, but was stood back up by the two holding him.

She considered calling someone, but Mel was already winding up his fist to hit Simon again. He drew it back and let it go.

"STOP!" Clary heard herself scream, before running in front of Simon. Mel's fist stopped an inch away from Clary's face.

She gasped again.

"Where did you come from?" Mel asked. He looked angrily to Raphael and Bat, "I thought you said no one followed us here."

They shrugged and repositioned their grips on Simon as he squirmed.

"Idiots." Mel said before turning back to Clary. "You think just because you're here that you saved the day? Sorry Clary, but a little girl isn't going to stop us." He said, taking a step toward her to show his size.

Clary gulped as he towered over her.

 _Don't show any sign of fear._

Her voice was shaky, but she kept her head up. "You're not going to hurt him; I won't let you."

"Clary," Simon pleaded.

"Oh yes I am, now get out of my way." Mel snapped.

"No." She yelled back.

"I'm serious Fray." He challenged.

"Clary, get out of here." Simon pleaded.

"So am I." She said, glaring at Mel.

He went to move her aside, but she surprised him by pushing back. Her weight wasn't enough to overpower him, but it was enough to put up a fight. She used her whole body to keep from being moved anywhere other than in front of Simon.

"No." She repeated. "No!"

"I'm sick of this," Mel grunted, "You asked for it, Fray."

Mel's hands met Clary's shoulders forcefully and she fell across the alley. Her body rolled across the ground until she hit the side of the building, her head slamming into the brick.

"Clary!" Simon yelled.

"Let that be a lesson to not mess with the big kids." He smirked at Clary, before returning to Simon. He wound up his fist again.

All of the sudden, a figure appeared and decked Mel in the face, causing him to lose balance and fall to all fours. It proceeded to kick Mel in his ribs, until he fell over on his side.

Jace stood over Mel, his eyes blazing.

Simon ran over to Clary as Raphael and Bat released their hold on him to lunge at Jace.

They outnumbered him, but Jace was skilled enough to defend himself. He punched Raphael with a right hook and turned to hit Bat with a left one. His knee collided with Raphael's nose and he watched as Raphael fell to the ground, gripping his face in agony. Jace head-butted an approaching Bat, and threw him down next to Mel.

The three laid on the cold ground, moaning.

Jace looked over at Clary and Simon, his knuckles bloody.

He rushed over and bent down to her, "Are you alright?" He asked Clary.

Clary stared half in horror, half amazed. She nodded slowly, a few tears in her eyes.

Her head ached horribly and she winced when Jace's fingers grazed her forehead.

"It's only a cut." He said, relief flooded his face.

He looked to Simon, who was just as shocked as Clary.

"And you?"

"I'm fine." He quivered. "Jace… thank you,"

Jace held a hand, signaling him not to bother and helped Clary stand up. She stumbled when she got to her feet, but Jace steadied her gently.

He turned to the three jocks, "If you even think about touching Clary again," He started.

Clary coughed loudly and he looked to her, confused. She nodded towards Simon.

Jace rolled his eyes, "Or Simon." He turned back to her to receive an approving nod. "I will put all three of you in the hospital."

Jace, Clary, and Simon convened towards the other end of the alley, and Jace finally let them give a few thank you's for showing up and saving them.

Clary nervously peeked beyond Jace. Mel and his guys were still on the ground. Even though they now posed no threat, she was still uneasy being so close to them.

Jace looked down and noticed her discomfort.

He whipped around and raised his voice, "Why the hell are you still here? Leave. Now." His voice was so threatening, it almost scared Clary.

The three scrambled up and cursed under their breaths while they headed in the opposite direction. Soon, they were out of the alley and out of sight.

"Let's go." Jace said, walking towards the opposite end.

Clary looked at her shaking hands. She took a few deep breaths, trying to silently calm herself. She turned to Simon. He was silent, his eye even more inflamed than it had been just minutes ago. His hands were shaking, too.

Clary finally looked at Jace, he was staring at the sidewalk impassively.

After a full five minutes of silent walking, Clary piped up.

"Jace," She said quietly. "That really was amazing. I can't believe,"

"What were you thinking?" He snapped. She was taken aback by his tone.

 _Is he mad at me?_

"Are you mad at me?" She stopped walking, the two boys followed in suit. Her eyes consciously shifted to Simon. She didn't want to argue with Jace in front of him.

Simon caught on quickly, "I'm going to go uh, I'm going to go make a call." He said awkwardly and headed a few feet away.

Jace waited until Simon was out of earshot before he answered her.

"Yes I'm mad at you. You could've gotten seriously hurt, Clary."

He was mad at her for trying to save her best friend? He couldn't be serious.

She opened her mouth to respond, but he held a hand up, "And don't you dare say 'you would've been fine.' He had no qualms about throwing you to the ground. I don't even want to imagine what he could've done to you. And you're so small! How could you possibly defend yourself against three guys twice your size?" He threw his hands up.

Clary felt like she was being scolded like a child.

She gritted her teeth, "Simon was in trouble, Jace. I couldn't do _nothing._ "

He glared at her, "Right and I told you to stay where you were so I could get help. You disappeared on me, had me worried sick."

He sighed and Clary looked down at her feet. It wasn't like he had asked her to do nothing, he had just set out to find the safest course of action.

Having all of this said to her, she started to get embarrassed. "How did you find us?"

He grimaced, "With hair like yours, you're not hard to find in a crowd, Clary."

"You chased after me?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. And Simon, I guess, too."

"I'm sorry, Jace." She said quietly. She circled some dirt on the ground with her foot, concentrating on her toe.

She heard him sigh and sensed it was safe to make eye contact again.

"It's fine, Clary."

She still felt lousy.

He had gone out of his way to find and help the two, after Clary ditched him.

And he was right, Mel's eyes showed no hesitation when it came to throwing Clary. She'd doubt he would've taken it easy on her if she kept fighting back.

 _"_ _You could've gotten seriously hurt."_

He eyed her. She guessed that it was obvious she was overthinking it all.

His face softened, "And how am I going to deal with knowing I lost the trust of one of Brooklyn's finest."

She scrunched her face in confusion.

"Well you could imagine the look on Officer David's face when I pried him away from his jelly doughnut to help the panicking redhead that was incidentally nowhere to be found. The boy who cried wolf has nothing on me."

She bit her lip and let out a laugh, and he frowned at her forehead.

"Is it bad?" She asked, suddenly self-conscious of her appearance. She reached up and winced at the feel of gash.

He shook his head, "No, but I'm just worried you might have a concussion."

His phone rang, interrupting the conversation. He grabbed it out of his pocket and held up a finger to Clary. She nodded and looked over at Simon, who was also on the phone.

 _I guess he really did have to make some calls._

"Hello?" Jace said, he turned sideways from Clary. "Yes, were still on." His voice lowered an octave, "No, I just lost track of time. I'm just with a friend but I'm on my way. Ok I'll see you soon.

He hung up and faced Clary, "I have to get going. I had almost forgotten I have plans this evening."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She smiled, "Hey, I'm glad you're making friends."

He gave a small laugh, "Actually, _friend_ may not be the most appropriate term. I'm meeting up with Aline."

A nasty pit settled in Clary's stomach. I guess they were more involved than she had realized.

All that time spent on analyzing her feelings and coming to a sane and reasonable conclusion about her feelings for Jace had been thrown out the window.

"Oh." She muttered.

"I decided to take her up on her offer to show me around the city." He said awkwardly, hitting his cell against the palm of his hand.

It was then Clary noticed a common occurrence whenever she interacted with Jace: mood swings.

The two could be awkward or tense with each other one moment, totally comfortable the next and vice versa.

Unfortunately, this time it was vice versa.

She nodded, "Well, have fun." She spoke as convincingly as she could. "And thank you. For rescuing Simon."

"I'll see you around, Clary."

She watched him walk away from her, her mood worsening.

"Where is superman off to?" Simon said from behind her. He had finished his phone calls and was ready to head home.

"Doesn't matter."

Later on that evening, Clary sketched anxiously in her room to pass the time it was taking for Sebastian to come over. As soon as Simon and her had parted ways, she texted him to get to her house as soon as he could.

She was restless while waiting. How dare his teammates, and _friends,_ attack Simon like that?

It wasn't Sebastian's fault, but he was sure going to get an earful. Maybe, he'd beat up his friends, too.

Finally, her doorbell rang and she raced down the stairs.

She opened it and found a fuming Sebastian.

"Clary." He gritted through his teeth before entering.

"Hi?" She said. Without another word, he marched up to her room.

She followed him confused, a bad feeling settling in her stomach.

Why did she feel like this wasn't going to the way she planned?

When the door was shut, he spoke up.

"You want to tell me why Jace Lightwood decided to jump three of my starting players?" He asked angrily, crossing his arms.

Clary made a face of confusion. That was not what had happened.

 _"_ What? No, Jace was defending Simon and I. He beat up your friends because Simon was being attacked by them, Sebastian."

His eyes were suspicious.

"What? You don't believe me?" She put her hands on her hips.

He sighed, frustrated. "I know what they did, Clary. But, it wasn't you _or_ Jace's place to get involved."

Her eyes widened. He knew they had hurt Simon and _he_ was mad at _her._

"What?" She was incredulous. 

"They came to practice, the shit kicked out of them and told me what happened."

"No. No, you're upset with me? Your friends jumped my best friend over a wounded ego and you're upset with me."

"That's not the point Clary."

She felt anger rising in her chest and she clenched her fists.

"If Simon had kept his mouth shut at lunch, Mel wouldn't have reacted. It's his fault he got hurt,"

"His fault?" She snapped. She pointed to her head, "And I supposed this is _Simon_ 's fault, too?

"What is that?"

"This is from Mel pushing me to the ground after I tried to help Simon."

He paused and then spoke quietly but sternly, "I said you shouldn't have got involved. Neither of you. If you didn't want to get hurt, you should've minded your own business. It isn't Mel's fault you pushed him to do that to you."

Clary felt tears build up in her eyes. She willed herself not to let any fall. Did he really just say that to her? He was _justifying_ it? She wanted to throw up.

"Because of Jace," He spat, "we may have to bench three of our star players. Just in time for the homecoming game. Thanks a lot."

Clary felt her throat dry up.

 _No. Absolutely not._

She was in a state of shock; Sebastian had not only defended Mel's actions, but blamed Clary and Simon for their injuries didn't care about her or Simon's well-being, he just wanted to lash out at someone now that his season was in jeopardy.

And he wasn't over his aversion to Jace. It was clear in his eyes when Sebastian spoke his name.

"Get out." She whispered.

His eyes widened, not expecting that.

"What?"

"Don't what me. What do you want me to say? Sorry?" She struggled to keep her voice from raising. "Were you expecting me to apologize for what your dirt bag friends did to mine? Is that it? Apologize for Mel putting his hands on me? Or apologize for Jace stepping in before they had the chance to seriously hurt Simon?" Her attempts to keep her voice even failed, she was yelling at him. "Get out. I want you out of my house!"

She moved towards him with her hands stretched out and pushed him towards the door.

"Clary," He tried, reaching out. She flinched.

"Don't!" She scolded him. She lowered her voice, her heartbeat in her ears. "Get out. Now."

He opened his mouth to speak but she glared at him, warning him not to say a word.

She waited until the door shut behind him and she could hear him descend down the stairs to break down.

She collapsed on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. It was the first time she had let herself succumb to what happened in the alley. She had kept it together for a while, but Sebastian's reaction pushed her over the edge.

Was this really the guy she fell for?

JACE POV

At Java Jones, Jace and Aline sat across from each other at a small table.

For the last 15 minutes, Aline had discussed her potential outfit for the dance next weekend. It was no doubt a tactic to get Jace to invite her.

"Maybe put my hair in curls. But who knows, it may be too much if I wear something sparkly…"

He had stopped listening five minutes prior and resorted to drawing invisible pictures on the table with his index finger.

"How do you feel about art?" He asked, cutting her off from her rambling. His eyes lingered on his finger before he finally looked up at her.

She blinked, caught off guard. "Art?"

He nodded.

"I mean… I guess it's OK. If you're into that sort of thing…" She snorted, before gauging Jace's reaction. When he didn't say anything, he saw a little bit of panic fill her eyes. She was worried she hadn't answered correctly.

"But, it can also be really awesome, yeah. Art can be super amazing." Her words were so fake it was embarrassing.

He wanted her to like art because SHE liked art, not because she wanted to please him.

He sighed, it wasn't like he had anything against Aline's hobbies; Jace had never discriminated against girls. He had no preference. Not in looks, not in interests.

But lately, it seemed like he had a type.

Short, fiery hair, an artist with a temper…

 _And brave._

Yes, Clary had been very brave for trying to intervene earlier today. Stupid. So stupid, but brave.

He wondered if she always did what she wanted to without thinking of the consequences.

He smirked to himself, it reminded him of someone.

 _You._

Aline started on a new topic, allowing Jace's mind to continue wandering.

Was Clary OK? She seemed fine immediately after, but it had been scary. Maybe she had put on a front.

She was probably with Sebastian, now. Jace wondered how he would react. He would no doubt be upset about his friends, Jace had hurt them in places that would definitely hinder their athletic abilities. But hopefully Clary was more important to him and he would reprimand them.

That was the least he could do.

IZZY POV

Izzy sat impatiently at her dining room table, drumming her nails on the lacquered wood.

She could hear Maryse in the kitchen, fixing up dinner. Earlier this afternoon she had insisted on preparing a meal for the kids after "neglecting" them all week.

Izzy had tried telling her she understood the lack of micro-parenting; Maryse needed to settle in at her new job and finish unpacking the rest of their stuff.

Plus, Izzy had witnessed Maryse wiping tears from her eyes while she got ready for work the other morning. Isabelle's mother was so strong and closed off sometimes, it was easy to forget she was dealing with something so painful.

Isabelle had insisted that the kids were just fine with Maryse taking time adjust to her new life. And everything seemed to be going relatively well.

 _Seemed_ being the key word.

At some point in the last few hours, a fight had broken out between Jace and some football players.

Izzy had been at the mall when she overheard a few cheerleaders talking about it:

"Yeah apparently Jace totally kicked Mel's butt!"

"But why?"

"Who knows what it was about, but who cares. Jace is even hotter now!" ….

Now, Isabelle was waiting for Jace to get home from his date with Aline to ask him about it.

The drama Jace had already caused was finally dying down, giving the Lightwood teens a chance to continue transitioning without any unnecessary issues.

But she was starting to fear that with Jace, drama would always be inevitable.

She sighed and looked to Max, who was sitting beside her, reading a comic book.

Poor Max. Jace was like a superhero to him, no doubt his role model.

If Jace kept acting out like this, it was only a matter of time before Max would start displaying similar behavior.

Finally, she heard the lock click on the door and her ears perked up.

She sprung up out of her seat and scurried to the foyer.

Jace's back was to her, locking the door back up.

"Spill." She said before he turned, making him jump. He spun around hastily.

"Nice to see you, too. My day was fine, thank you for asking."

He headed past her to the stairs. She moved to them quickly, standing on the bottom step and blocking him from walking up.

She made a face. "Please tell me you didn't start it."

He rolled his eyes, "No Isabelle. I did not start it."

Relief flooded her body.

"But, I did finish it."

She sighed, "Did you provoke them? What was the point? You know we don't need this,"

He cut her off, "I'll have you know I only showed up because our friends were in trouble."

"What friends?" She blinked. "Showed up? You're telling me you purposely sought out a brawl?"

He sighed, clearly not interested in talking about it. She egged him on, "What friends, Jace?"

"Clary and Simon." He ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Clary was worried because Simon had run into a few boys on the football team. One of them being your suitor today from lunch."

Izzy winced, _Mel._

"I found them in an alley. Clary was on the ground, her head bleeding while Mel and his boys used Simon as their own personal punching bag." He shrugged.

"Oh." Izzy said nervously. "Do you know why?"

Jace gave her a you-know-exactly-why look. She nodded at the silent explanation.

"Are they ok?"

"Clary has a cut on her forehead, but that's about it."

"And Simon?" She asked more quietly.

"He's pretty beat up,"

Izzy gasped a little.

"He'll be fine, Izzy."

Maryse came into the foyer.

"Jace. I didn't know you were home." She still had over mitts on her hands. "What a nice surprise, now I can enjoy dinner with three of my children."

"Three? Where is Alec?" Jace asked.

"He went shooting." Izzy answered. Jace let out a sigh of relief. Izzy understood why.

She had been so happy when she saw Alec leave with his bow and arrow. He seemed so off lately, and stress eating was no way to handle whatever it was that was going on with him.

ALEC POV

Alec knocked on the big wooden door in front of him. He waited a minute before knocking again.

When that didn't seem to be working, he used the bronze knocker.

Finally, he heard footsteps on the other side and Magnus came to the door.

"Alexander!" His eyes widened, "What are you doing here?" He asked while moving his body to block the opening in the door.

"I told my family I went shooting, but," He reached out to take Magnus' hand, "I missed you. I had to come see you."

Magnus' eyes softened, but he didn't move to let Alec in.

"Oh Alec, I missed you too. But I," Magnus seemed anxious.

"Is everything ok?"

He nodded slowly, "I really wish you would've called…"

"Do you not want me here?" Alec asked, starting to become anxious himself.

Magnus seemed to be thinking of a response when a third voice filled the silence.

"Magnus!" Alec froze, his limbs numbing.

It was a man's voice.

He looked to Magnus, whose eyes had widened again.

"What is taking you so long? I'm growing bored here!" The man called again.

Magnus shook his head, "Alec,"

Alec pushed past his boyfriend and ran into the house, despite Magnus' pleads for him to wait.

Alec bolted through the foyer, looking around for whoever it was that had been yelling.

He entered the kitchen where an older man, probably Magnus' age, sat at the dining table with a glass of wine. He was circling the rim of the glass with a bony finger.

Alec suddenly became very nauseous.

"Who are you?" he snapped.

Offended by his tone, the man made a face of disgust, "Who am _I_?"

Magnus ran into the kitchen suddenly, the man looked to him, "Magnus who is this _child_ and why is he interrupting us?" He spat on the word child like it was venom.

"Ragnor, please." Magnus said before turning to Alec.

"Interrupting? I'm interrupting you two?" Alec moved back towards the doorway of the kitchen. "I can't believe this. I can't believe _you._ " He said pointing a shaky finger at Magnus.

He ran out towards the door, Magnus on his heels. Before he could open the door, Magnus pulled him back.

"Don't. Don't touch me." He shook Magnus' hold violently. He went to leave, but hesitated and turned back. "You know something, despite all of the bullshit that has been happening in my life, I always thought I could count on you. You'd be the constant while I dealt with all the changes. The worst part is that even though everything else in my life has fallen apart, I genuinely believed that the universe wasn't cruel enough to take you from me, too. Thanks a lot."

And without waiting for a response from Magnus he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

He walked down the street, willing himself not to cry. He took a deep breath and headed toward the archery clinic.

CLARY POV

Sunday night before going to sleep, Clary sat up fidgeting with her fingers. She was trying to decompress in hopes of sleeping well.

She had spent Saturday with Simon, avoiding the real world by binge watching some movies. They ended up telling Jocelyn that some random muggers had approached them when asked about their cuts and bruises.

Sebastian had tried reaching her a bunch of times, but she ignored all his attempts at interaction. He had messed up, badly, and she wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Earlier this morning Izzy had called to check up on her and two gossiped for a while.

Apparently, word had already spread about Friday afternoon.

According to Izzy, a lot of people were horrified by the whole thing. She had been relieved to hear this.

Clary didn't care much about people feeling bad for her or Simon, her main concern was people believing the real story and keeping their distance from the offenders. Especially girls.

People felt bad for Simon. A lot had loosely agreed with Sebastian, that Simon should've initially kept his mouth shut. But, ultimately Mel's reaction was out of line.

And then there was the talk about Jace's involvement; he was now on every football player's Most Wanted List. But his popularity with the girls had skyrocketed. Every girl wanted a piece of Jace Lightwood; the mysterious new guy who wasn't afraid to kick the asses of the toughest guys in school.

Rumor had it that Aline planned on sealing the deal on Monday. Now that Jace was even more in demand, she was done playing games.

Being the most popular girl in school, it was only right that Jace was on _her_ arm… or at least that what she said.

Clary grimaced. If that really was the case, she was going to have to get used to hearing the names Jace and Aline paired together.

The thought made her queasy.

She dismissed it, quickly. She didn't have time to overthink this. She knew that she needed to figure out what she was going to do with Sebastian. She couldn't avoid him forever and she knew he'd be at her locker the next morning.

Exhausted, Clary sunk into her bed, pulling the covers above her head. She let her mind wander, a pair of golden eyes being the last thing she saw before she slipped into a slumber.

JACE POV

Jace was walking down the sidewalk, Alec and Izzy on his left. The three of them were joking and laughing, teasing each other.

Not far ahead, Robert and Maryse strolled, a toddler aged Max waddling between them. They each held one of his hands and his laughter echoed every time his parents swung him up.

The sun was shining, without a single cloud in sight. The birds were chirping and music played softly in the background.

A fairytale scene for a fairytale family.

All of the sudden, the sky turned pitch black and filled up with purple and gray clouds. Lightning struck and thunder boomed way too loudly, causing the family to cover their ears in pain.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, this time striking the space between Jace and his siblings. Separated, they continued to walk without Jace, catching up with their parents.

Jace tried to move, but he couldn't. He told his feet to run, but they stayed cemented to the ground. He was frozen.

He watched his family walk off without him, now smiling again. They had forgotten about him

He screamed, but no sound came from his mouth. He tried again, but his throat had completely dried up.

Jace's family faded into a thick fog, as a strong hand gripped Jace's shoulder, scaring him. He turned to find a tall man smiling at him, gazing down at him menacingly with black eyes…

Jace jerked awake and sprung up in his bed. He breathed heavily, looking around and reminded himself he was at home, in his bedroom.

Safe.

He reached for the glass of water on his nightstand, glancing at the clock that read 4 am.

He brought the glass to his mouth and chugged it all in one sip. He proceeded to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He closed his eyes in frustration and groaned before flinging himself backwards to lay down.

 _Think of something else, something good._

His mind searched for something to take his mind off of his nightmare. Alec and Izzy? No, it would only remind him of what he had just dreamt of. Music? Most of the pieces he played were depressing ballads. Aline? Yikes.

Finally, he gave up trying and let his eyelids close to the first thing that popped into his head.

A beautiful girl with red hair and emerald eyes flashed a smile. She took his hand and lead him into a different dream.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Ok so this chapter is a little shorter than the last, but I've already started on the next one and that will DEFINITELY be long.**

 **To make up for the length of this chapter, I shared a playlist with you all. These songs are what I listen to when I write** ** _Alicante High_** **and I think they can definitely enhance the reading experience if listened to while reading. Or, if you just want music to get you in the mood for the story or new music to listen to in general.**

 **The next chapter will be up either tomorrow or the day after, I promise. Enjoy!**

CLARY POV

The rest of the week had been a complete blur.

Mel, Raphael, and Bat were keeping a low profile. Though they weren't exactly being ostracized, they rest of the school had been so dismayed that the athletes were being avoided by 75% of the student body.

Sebastian had quit trying to reach Clary and had been absent from school Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week he had sat as far away from Clary as he could in class.

Unfortunately, this just gave people more to talk about.

Clary let them talk, she had been able give answers about what happened and partake in conversations loaded with half-sincere sympathy, she didn't need to give herself the responsibility of confirming or correcting gossip.

She had to admit though, it was amazing how a traumatic experience could translate to something of glamor to the outside world. While Clary was still waking up to disturbing flashbacks of being thrown to the asphalt, everyone else had found something to fill their conversations with at lunch and in between classes.

People who hadn't known Clary or Simon's name Friday morning were now wondering if they would be at the Lightwoods's house on Saturday night after the dance. The newfound attention made her uncomfortable, especially since it was for all the wrong reasons. Clary was secure with who she was; she was comfortable with where she stood in term of "status" and content with who was she was friends with. Simon and her ignored most of the attempts people made to bond with Mel's victims.

Jace, on the other-hand, was eating up the attention, as Clary knew he would. Now, guys wanted to be Jace Lightwood and girls wanted to be on him, even more than they already did (if that was even possible.)

And just like Izzy had warned, Aline had preyed on Jace the second the opportunity presented itself.

"Clary do you want to get ready for the dance together?" Izzy asked. "I've got some great makeup ideas for you." She broke a chocolate chip cookie in half and shared with Simon. He smiled graciously at her.

There was never any doubt that Isabelle liked Simon, but when someone almost ends up in the hospital because of you, you put in extra effort to show you care.

Clary looked at them admiringly, suddenly feeling low.

Her heart sunk a little. She still hadn't talked to Sebastian. She had no idea if she still had a boyfriend, let alone a date to the dance.

"Actually, I think I'm going to skip it." She said, biting her lip.

Izzy's eyes all but bugged out of her head.

"Why?" Simon asked, plopping his half of cookie into his mouth. "You gotta go, Clary."

"I agree." Jace said, watching her from across the table. She felt herself starting to blush. She quickly put her elbows on the table and cupped her cheeks in her hands to hide it.

Clary held her tongue, embarrassed to say.

They sat patiently, waiting for an explanation. She sighed and put down her hands when she trusted that the color in her cheeks had faded.

"I uh," _Go ahead, tell them._ She lowered her voice, "I don't have a date."

"What about Seb," Alec started, he stopped when he noticed Izzy glaring at him.

"Its ok, Izzy." She turned to Alec. "I'm not going with Sebastian anymore."

Izzy spoke quickly, "You don't need a date to go to the dance."

Clary knew she was right and she had thought about going stag. It wasn't a big deal and she had never cared before, usually she would go with Simon as friends. But this time, it was different; there was something _depressing_ about her going alone. She knew it was because she was surrounded by people who _did_ have dates.

Isabelle and Simon were going together, Maia and Jordan had made up, she knew Alec was skipping to hang with Magnus and although she had no idea who the "lucky" girl was, Jace had been asked so many times it was actually impossible that he'd be going stag.

"I know, but I think I'd like one." She shrugged, then played with her fingers. "I'd rather stay home than tag alone as a seventh wheel." She laughed emptily. "But, I'll be at the party after."

"I understand." Izzy said, disappointed. Clary looked to her and gave her an encouraging smile to ease up the mood.

Clary crushed some pretzels with her fist and Jace cleared his throat. She looked at him.

"Do you have something you want to say?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just surprised." He said.

"That?"

"No one else has asked you."

She grimaced, "Everyone knows Sebastian and I are a thing." She shook her head, "Or, _were_ a thing. Everyone either has dates or don't want to cross him. Or... or they just don't want to ask me."

His eyes flickered.

"What?" She snapped, preparing for a sarcastic response.

He smirked. "I don't think its the third reason, Clary."

Her eyes softened and she looked down.

"I have an idea."

She furrowed her brow, and nodded for him to continue.

"Well," He leaned in on his elbows, "I don't have a date to the dance either."

 _He doesn't? How is that possible?_

Surely, this was a misunderstanding. Maybe he was making fun of her. She glared at him.

Clary had seen girls invite Jace to homecoming on multiple occasions. She _had_ gotten the feeling he had turned them all down, but she had assumed he was saving himself for Aline.

But now he was saying he didn't have a date. Maybe Aline didn't work out, leaving him dateless, but even then, he had all of those other girls to replace her..

 _Wait a second._

She looked at him, he was smirking suggestively. Was he asking Clary to go with him?

She blinked at him, aware that the odd and inescapable tether between them was starting to form.

She opened her mouth, but just like clockwork, Aline appeared out of nowhere and scooted in next to him. Helen followed in suit, forcefully sliding into Clary. Clary looked to Alec apologetically for invading his personal space.

"Did I hear you two talking about dates to the dance?" Aline asked, bouncing a little in her seat. Jace kept his eyes on Clary.

Clary nodded slowly in response. _Oh no._

Aline grinned and shifted her body to focus solely on Jace. She grabbed his chin with her hand to make him face her, his eyes lingering on Clary before turning to his capturer.

"So, Jace. I was thinking…"

Clary felt her hands become sweaty.

She _is going to ask him to the dance._

Helen sat smiling like a fool, impatiently egging Aline on.

"Go ahead Aline, do it!"

Aline smiled in response, "Since you're playing so hard-to-get," She ruffled his hair with her free hand and he nodded his chin out of her grip.

Clary's lips parted as he raised an arm to push his now-messy-hair back and his bicep flexed subtly. She got a clear shot of his jawline when he titled his head back slightly while his fingers traced his scalp. He was so beautiful, it physically hurt.

"Jace do you want to go to dance with me?" She chirped, snapping Clary back to the present.

Jace showed no emotion.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Had he been waiting for this?

"Wow, Aline. That is flattering. But I may actually have other plans for the dance..." He trailed off.

Did he not want to say yes? What other plans? Wasn't he suggesting _they'd_ go together not 30 seconds ago?

Jace looked to Clary.

 _He means with you, duh!_

He then stared at her for a moment.

Clary blushed at her inability to catch on. She realized what he was trying to do.

 _It's up to me whether or not he'll say yes to Aline. He wants my confirmation._

It was then Clary became aware that everyone at the table had stopped talking to hear Jace's answer, that was unbeknownst to everyone else, waiting on Clary's.

 _Tell Aline he's going with you! Rub it in her face!_

She opened her mouth to say that Jace's plans were with herself, but she stopped.

Should she really go with Jace? What would that mean...would that mean she was cheating on Sebastian?

She had time to officially break up with Sebastian before the dance to avoid that, but would that mean she was dumping Sebastian for Jace? Was it even that serious?

Was she ready for the rumors and gossip to be spread about her the second everyone realized she had been dating Sebastian for a week before breaking up with him to go out with the new boy? She swallowed.

And what about Izzy? Was she ok with this? Clary didn't want to cross a line, especially when their friendship was so new.

Would being Jace's date mean anything more than just a friend going with a friend? Jace and Clary's relationship was hardly comparable to the one she had with Simon.

There were too many factors; things she had to sort out before she jumped into doing anything. And she currently didn't have the time to go over it all.

Her heart sank, making her decision.

"You two should go together." She said quietly. Jace's eyes widened. "You'll have a lot of fun."

He cleared his throat before giving Aline an official yes. She threw her hands around him and kissed him on the cheek.

Clary's throat dried up.

A few threatening tears stung her eyes as she watched Aline drape herself over Jace.

Quickly she collected her books and excused herself from the table.

She ran to the bathroom down the hall and locked herself in the last stall of the row.

She put her head in her hands.

 _Why did you do that, Clary? You handed him over to her._

She kicked the door in frustration.

Since that day at lunch, she hadn't talked to Jace much. He started acting weird and distant, like they weren't even friends. In class, she was lucky if he said hello to her. And that only happened if she said it first.

He stopped eating lunch at their usual table and sat with Aline and her friends. When she could, Clary stole peeks over at him, but that was about it.

Clary tried to get some answers from Izzy. She casually brought Jace up in conversation, trying to gauge whether or not Jace's feelings for Aline were real and if they were growing. Was he acting strange and avoiding Izzy and Alec, too?

Isabelle hadn't noticed Clary's desire for information, so her answers barely did anything for her.

However, there was one thing Isabelle had said in art that had stayed with Clary.

Izzy yawned violently before reaching for a charcoal crayon. Her head tipped over before springing back up, her eyes fluttering.

"Oh, god. I am so tired." She moaned.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Clary asked.

Izzy groaned, "Not really." She rubbed her eyes, careful not to smudge her eyeshadow. "Jace made Alec and I watch movies with him and Aline all night."

"He made you?" Clary asked, trying to sound as neutral as she could.

"Yeah." Izzy rolled her eyes. "Aline would NOT leave. I was ready to whip out a sleeping bag and tell her to camp out."

Clary wanted to ask why Jace needed Izzy and Alec to hang out with Aline, but Amatis came over to discuss their pictures.

It was Friday evening and she had to be at the Alto Bar in an hour to watch Simon's band.

She carefully brushed her red locks out as she waited for Izzy to come over. She stared at the cut that was now scabbing over above her left eyebrow. She frowned; it was enough she had to deal with the aftermath of Sebastian's friends, now she had a reminder every time she looked into the mirror. She applied some mascara and lip gloss with amateur technique.

She nodded, this would have to do. Her cellphone phone vibrated on her dresser, making her jump slightly.

The Caller ID read Sebastian.

This had been the first time in days that he tried calling her.

Reluctantly, with a shaky hand, she reached for her phone and answered it.

"Clary." He breathed, relief obviously coating his voice.

"What do you want?" She asked almost inaudibly.

"I want to talk; I want to see you."

She sighed, "Sebastian it,"

He cut her off, "I'm sorry, Clary. I'm so, so sorry. You were right, about everything. I was so stressed about football already, that the second I heard what happened I freaked out. But, it was a lapse of judgement, ok? I swear to god. Right after I left your house I found Mel, Raphael, and Bat and I benched them for homecoming."

"You what?"

"Once they got looked over by the medic, they realized that after a week of rest, they'd be fine to start this weekend. But, I told them they couldn't play."

"Oh."

"No one touches you and gets away with it, Clary. I know it didn't seem like I cared, but I swear I did. There was just so much pressure on me, that if anything went wrong at Sunday's game, it would be on my shoulders. I couldn't handle that and I acted out."

Clary stayed silent. There was still the fact that he showed no remorse for Simon, he was making it all about her and her feelings when Simon had been the real victim.

"I tried calling Simon, to apologize. I realize that this isn't all about you. You are my girlfriend and your best friend is just as important to me than he is to you."

Clary's eyes widened at the sound of his words.

Wow, he seemed to be saying all the right things. Her mind lingered on the word, girlfriend. Was she still his girlfriend? He at least thought so.

But it sounded ... wrong coming from Sebastian's mouth.

"Clary, I am so, so sorry. I will do anything, anything to make this right." His voice quivered. "If you're not ready, I understand. Take the time you need; I just need to know there is a chance. A chance that I haven't totally blown this. I've been less than a perfect boyfriend, I know that. Things have just been so crazy lately. But I care about you, I want this to work."

She held her breath.

Did _she_ want things to work?

Her mind wandered to thoughts of Jace, but turned sour when she pictured him with Aline.

It might be easier to deal with Jace and Aline with someone of her own...

She shook her head.

No. Sebastian had ruined any chance of them having something normal ever again. If that is where his mind went, she could only imagine how he'd react when things got really tough.

Besides, she couldn't use someone like that.

She heard a whimper and realized he was crying.

"I miss you." He said quietly.

She shook her head again, no. She didn't want this, not anymore.

They didn't work. There had been too many problems too early in the relationship for this to ever go smoothly down the long haul. For the past two weeks it had been nothing but anxiety and drama.

"If you need time, I will respect that. But, please, _please_ let me see you. I just want to clear the air. Settle things."

"I'm going to Simon's gig tonight…"

"That's fine. I can meet you. Where is it?"

Izzy walked in the room then, Clary held up a finger. Isabelle nodded and sat on the bed, smoothing out her velvet skirt.

"8:00, Alto Bar." She finished.

"Okay." He said, hopeful.

She hung up.

 _Was that a good idea?_

"Someone meeting you?" Izzy asked.

Clary nodded slowly, not wanting to tell Isabelle it was Sebastian.

"Who?"

"Just uh, just someone."

Clary looked at her feet.

Izzy's eyes widened, "Sebastian."

Clary sighed and turned back to the mirror to smooth out her hair.

"Clary please tell me you're not getting back together with him. You can't! He was so awful to you and Jace..."

Clary whipped her head back to her friend, "Jace _what_?"

Izzy bit her lip.

"Izzy…."

"Nothing. Never mind. Just, just please don't take him back."

"I'm not, Iz. He just wants to apologize. So I'm going to let him, that's it."

Izzy nodded skeptically, but let out an OK.

ALEC POV

Alec and Jace sat on the subway in silence. It had been a week since Alec walked in on Magnus and his _suitor._

Alec swallowed the vile that crept up in his throat as he thought about it again.

He had heard Magnus calling his name after he had stormed down the block, but that was the most Magnus had done to redeem himself with Alec.

Magnus hadn't called, hadn't come by, nothing.

He was probably with this Ragnor guy, right now. Sitting on the couch, drinking wine, and holding hands...

Alec visibly gagged.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jace asked inquisitively.

Alec smiled weakly, "Just uh, just thinking about how much I don't want to go to this thing."

This was half true. Alec really wasn't in the mood to go and listen to an amateur band try to please a crowd at a dive bar, but it was better than sitting at home thinking about Magnus.

Jace gave a confused expression, "I told you not to come if you didn't want to, you said you were up for it."

 _Crap._

Alec had kept his drama to himself, it wasn't like him to go off filling in everyone on his soap opera.

He was unlike Jace and Isabelle in that way; they kept things hidden because they feared weakness.They understood that once you let the outside world know that you could be effected or wounded in any way, you became a target.

The universe would claim another victim, another person to torture. Alec's siblings were obsessed with the idea of being strong, and they'd be damned if they were seen as anything else.

Alec, kept to himself out of an organic need and desire to keep his life private.

He wasn't outgoing. That didn't relate to only strangers, sometimes it applied to even the closest people in his life.

"Maybe you could ask Magnus to swing by. Maryse has officially left, he could come back with us and spend the night instead of waiting until tomorrow." Jace offered.

Alec absentmindedly gritted his teeth.

Jace noticed this. He sighed, "Well Alec, I'm annoyed to say the least."

"What do you mean?"

Two girls sitting across from the boys watched them seductively. One blonde, one dark haired, just like the brothers. They whispered to each other and giggled; the blonde sucked on a lollipop and eyed Alec specifically.

He shuddered.

"I mean," Jace smirked at the girls, "if you don't want to talk about whatever it is that is bothering you, the least you can do is pretend to be in a good mood. You know I'm going to notice you're sulking and I know you're going to deny that there is anything wrong, despite how obvious it is. And to tell you the truth, I don't feel like dealing with the whole I'm-a-tortured-soul act."

Alec's mouth dropped, Jace shrugged, "It's true. Either you tell me whats going on, or you at least try to enjoy yourself."

Jace could be such a dick sometimes, and Alec definitely wasn't in the mood.

"Yeah, I may be sulking, but I am not doing it for attention. I'm not a child, Jace. Excuse me for letting myself feel what I'm feeling. And you know something? You have a lot of nerve calling me out like that. You don't see me complaining about your bullshit. What with all the drama and consequences that WE have to deal with because you can't grow up." Alec inhaled sharply."And don't get me started on the act you put on when it comes to Clary. Don't think we all haven't noticed you're feelings for her. Its so obvious, its actually painful to watch you pretend like she doesn't have this weird hold over you. But you're too much of a _god_ to ever admit someone has actually gotten to you."

Jace blinked at him.

Alec sighed, knowing he had taken it too far.

Jace was a complicated person. His childhood had been nothing short but difficult. It wasn't totally his fault that he was the way he was.

And his feelings for Clary were ...complicated also, and definitely not something he was interested in discussing. Bringing it up had just been unnecessary.

Alec lowered his voice, "I caught Magnus with someone else."

Jace raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

Alec nodded sadly, "Last Friday. I showed up at his house, some guy was there."

He shook his head and put it in his hands.

Breaking down on a subway was not really something Alec was not interested in doing, but it was the first time he had spoken about the incident out loud.

"I see." Jace spoke. "Are you sure?"

Alec picked his head, "What do you mean 'am I sure?'" He snapped.

Jace shrugged and leaned back against his seat, "Well, how do you know Magnus was _cheating_? Did you see them _together?_ "

Alec blinked. "Well, no, but,"

Jace cut him off, "Were they holding hands, or reciting Shakespearean sonnets. Writing their vows?"

Alec was getting annoyed again, "No. Jace, they weren't."

"Then what we're they doing?"

"I don't know. Magnus was acting so weird, like he didn't want me there. He didn't want me coming inside. I ran past him and found this man sitting at his kitchen table. He had a glass of wine."

"That's it?"

"Yeah Jace, that's it." He spat. "What are you trying to say?"

Jace put his hands up in surrender as the train came to a halt, it was their stop. They stood up and waited for the doors to open.

"I just think maybe, just maybe, it wasn't what you thought it was. Magnus loves you. Very much. I don't think he is capable of cheating on you. From what you've told me, it doesn't seem like there's enough evidence for infidelity to be the only explanation. Maybe it wasn't what it seemed."

Alec thought it over for a moment, maybe Jace was right. There was no actual evidence that Magnus and _Ragnor_ were doing anything wrong. The situation had merely _seemed_ off.

But if that was the case, Magnus would've called to explain himself, and he hadn't.

He looked to Jace and walked out with his brother when the doors opened.

They headed towards the staircase but got caught in the mob of people and were now dragging their feet.

"Thanks, Jace." He said awkwardly. He coughed, "Um. And for the record,"

Jace looked sideways at him.

"I think Clary likes you, too."

IZZY POV

When Clary mentioned Sebastian would be coming to Simon's gig, a nervous pit had sprouted in Izzy's stomach.

Jace and Alec were on their way and she doubted they'd respond well to seeing him.

Or, at least one definitely wouldn't.

Isabelle had purposely kept that part of the gossip to herself. She knew telling Jace about Sebastian's reaction to Mel would only ignite a flame that needed to be kept out.

For now, at least.

But more than that, she didn't want Clary around Sebastian; Izzy had only been at Alicante for two weeks, but she had already seen too many signs of an unhealthy relationship.

Of course, she had only found out about about Sebastian's forbiddance of all things Jace Lightwood when she talked to Clary post-Sebastian freak out. It had made the whole situation seem that more toxic. And Izzy didn't trust him.

Unfortunately, it seemed like he had a way of manipulating Clary into seeing things his way.

She took a mental oath not to leave Clary alone with him.

They entered the bar and immediately walked to the stage where Cherry Pie Venom was setting up.

"Hey guys!" Simon said excitedly. He lugged an amp downstage and squatted in front of them.

Izzy grinned while Simon discussed the set list.

He was so cute when he was talking about things he loved.

Butterflies of excitement nestled comfortably in her chest, as she thought about the upcoming night.

A young girl, not older than 14 padded over, taking stance in front of Clary and Izzy.

"Hi Simon!" She said, bouncing on her tip toes.

"Hi Maureen." Simon said, a little embarrassed and a little annoyed.

CLARY POV

Izzy leaned over the bar, attempting to score some free drinks from another victim of a bartender while Clary watched the bar entrance anxiously.

She glanced at her cellphone, 7:50. Simon's band would be starting soon.

"Here you are!" Izzy said handing over a glass with clear liquor. She pulled it back when her eyes reached Clary's.

Clary assumed she looked just as nervous as she felt.

"Maybe just water for now." Izzy murmured and turned back to order.

"Clary." A voice said, paired with a hand on Clary's shoulder. She spun.

"Hi." Sebastian breathed. He gave a reserved smile.

To her surprise, Clary's heart fell. He looked so…. Bad. His eyes were bloodshot and were surrounded by dark purple, but his ruffled bedhead was plan distracting.

She nodded.

Izzy cleared her throat threateningly behind Clary. Clary flashed an apologetic expression at him.

"Hi Isabelle." It became awkward quickly.

Clearly he wanted privacy, but Clary knew Izzy well enough by now that Isabelle was too loyal to let up so easily.

Clary turned, "Its ok, Iz."

"But Clary," She said, her eyes peering up at Sebastian warily.

Clary pulled Izzy close to her, "We're just going to settle everything. I promise, thats all. The show is going to start soon. Why don't you go find us a spot near the stage?"

Izzy bit her lip.

 _Please Izzy._

"Meet me when you two finish." She said sternly. Clary sighed with relief and nodded obediently.

Isabelle moved through the crowd swiftly.

"So," He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Clary crossed her arms, "So."

"How have you been?"

Clary let out a small, exasperated breath, "I've been fine, Sebastion."

He nodded. "Football's been ok, we have this new play,"

She cut him off, "Seb, you wanted to see me. I'm here, like I said I'd be. I don't really have time for small talk."

JACE POV

The two brothers entered the bar with mere minutes to spare.

"Do you see Isabelle?" Alec shouted over the mass of sound that filled the Alto Bar.

Jace scanned his head over the crowd, failing to spot his sister.

He did, however, spot a redhead over by the bar. He was a little uncomfortable now knowing Alec was so aware of his feelings towards Clary.

He let his eyes linger a bit and his heart sped up gradually as he observed her features. He watched the way her hair bounced when she spoke. The curve of her smile, the turn of her frown, the furrow of her brows.

 __"Why don't we head over to the bar?" Jace called to Alec. Alec followed his eyes.

"I don't know Jace, why don't we?" He smirked.

Jace shoved Alec as Alec laughed and led them through the sea of teenagers.

Jace became unsettled when he saw she was with Sebastian.

Jace hadn't seen him around school the past week; he had figured that Sebastian was laying low.

Jace had let himself believe that Clary and Sebastian might have ended things. He suddenly felt very foolish.

They reached the two and Clary's eyes widened.

Was she unhappy to see Jace?

"What are you doing here?" She all but spat.

"Has my arrival offended you, Fray?" He said, amused. She looked to Sebastian, who was staring uncomfortably at his feet.

"Sebastian." Jace said to him. Seb peeked up through his hair and gave a crooked smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just thought neither of you were coming tonight." She looked to Alec, "Hi Alec."

Alec gave a small wave.

Sebastian looked deep in thought before turning to Clary. "You didn't know he'd be here?"

Clary shook her head.

"Is that why you agreed to see me?"

He crossed his arms. "Would I not be here right now if you had known Jace was coming?"

"This" She said, pointing in the space between her and Sebastian, "Has nothing to do with Jace. Why are you purposely trying to start an argument right now?"

"What are you talking about?" Jace said, taking a step towards the couple.

He felt his brows furrow in confusion. What did Jace have to do with what? What exactly was going on?

"Nothing." Clary snapped, looking from Jace to Sebastian. "Sebastian is talking about nothing."

"I just want an answer Clary. An honest one." He said sternly, Jace could sense some irritation building up in Sebastian. "I mean it's the _least_ you can do, dragging me all the way to Brooklyn..."

Clary's fists clenched, "I did not drag you to Brooklyn Sebastian…"

"Don't interrupt me." He held a hand up to her, like she was a child.

This made Jace's fist clench a little.

But of course, there was no need, Clary went off on Sebastian, her tone confirming that although they may still be together, there was something seriously wrong.

As much he liked to watch Clary bitch Sebastian out, he knew this wasn't any of his business. He was in the middle of grabbing Alec to leave when a few Clary's words caught his attention.

"If you had done what Jace did, maybe we wouldn't be here right now. But no, you took the side of your football friends. You took all of your frustration out on me and tried to convince me that what Mel did was all my fault. How could you do that…"

Jace stepped up to Sebastian, cutting Clary off, "You did what?"

Sebastian gritted his teeth. "This doesn't concern you, Jace."

"You took _Mel's_ side?" Jace raised his voice. "Did you do anything after you heard what he did to Clary. Your girlfriend?"

Sebastian clenched his fists and stepped up to Jace. "Back off, Lightwood. I'm serious."

"What are you going to do? Storm off dramatically again?" Jace taunted.

"I swear to God..."

Jace felt a pull at his sleeve and looked to see Alec, pleading with his eyes.

His brother's words on the subway sounded off in his head.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the crowd erupted in applause and cheering.

Clary took advantaged of the momentary break of tension and wedged herself between the two.

"Come on, let's go find Izzy." Alec pulled Jace fully out of Sebastian's reach.

Jace forcefully pulled his arm out of Alec's grasp. "Fine."

When the concert ended, Jace kept his eyes peeled for Clary. But he didn't see her, or Sebastian for that matter.

As soon as the band started to perform, Jace decided not to check on Clary until the show was over. She and Sebastian clearly needed to talk about things and Jace was sure to only worsen it. To distract himself, he had committed to basking in the mildly angst-y alternative rock, teenager sweat, and nauseating scent of the vapor that surrounded him.

He moved with the herd of teens to the door and outside into the chilly air. He headed towards the side of the building where Alec and Izzy were talking with some members of the band, including Simon.

Jace squinted, but didn't see Clary.

He figured she must've been with Sebastian still.

"We need to talk." Clary's voice said from behind him. He turned and she stood, angrily with her arms crossed.

"About what?"

"You. And you're meddling with my life." She said, matter-of-factly. "You had no right to interrupt me earlier. Sebastian and _I_ were having a conversation, not Sebastian, I, and _Jace_. All you did was eavesdrop and make the situation that much harder for me to deal with." She huffed.

Jace let out a laugh.

She was genuinely upset and he knew that, but he couldn't help it.

"Let me guess." He said, crossing his arms and shadowing her posture. " _Sebastian_ didn't like that I intervened and it made him angry. An angry Sebastian meant it was almost impossible for you two to sort out your issues. So your argument ended up more unresolved and hopeless than it already was to begin with."

She blinked.

He sighed, "Clary, I apologize for the _eavesdropping_. But in my defense, you two decided to air your dirty laundry while Alec and I were standing right there. I will not, however, apologize for intervening. From what it sounded like, Sebastian didn't have your best interest in mind. He took Mel's side. His own girlfriend was beaten up,"

"I wasn't beaten up."

Jace gritted his teeth. "Thrown to the ground, manhandled, cut open – whatever you want to call it. I don't care. Point is, you're not angry with me because I got involved, you're just taking your frustration out on me."

She huffed a second time, "Listen, of course I am frustrated with the whole situation, but _this_ is not my frustration. This is my irritation towards you and you're golden boy hero-esque personality. l didn't need you to come in and stand up for me; all it did was deepen Sebastian's suspicions about things.

"What kind of things?"

"Doesn't matter. MY point is you made it seem like I need saving or back-up. Like I can't stand my ground on my own."

Jace's heart sunk. He hadn't meant to make it seem like he thought Clary was vulnerable. He felt quite the opposite.

"Clary, I didn't intervene because I thought you weren't getting your point across. I intervened because, well, a week later I'm still just as angry at what happened to you as I was the day it happened. I counted on the fact that Sebastian would avenge you somehow, he should've. But hearing that he didn't even care, it was honestly a shock and I couldn't help myself."

Clary sniffled, and dabbed the corner of her eye with a finger.

After a moment, she opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing it.

"Just, please don't get involved next time." She said quietly.

She walked past him to the rest of their friends.

 **PLAYLIST -**

 **(Obviously listening to this playlist isn't necessary for keeping up with the story, its just something extra. I put down a lot of songs so I don't expect anyone to sit down and listen to everyone of them. I just hope you guys can find something you like.)**

Haunt / Bed - The 1975 Starving ft. Zedd - Hailee Steinfeld Unsteady - X Ambassadors

Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding Shots - Imagine Dragons Fool of Me ft. Say Lou Lou - Chet Faker

The Mess I Made - Parachute Until You Were Gone ft. Emily Warren - The Chainsmokers Slide - The Goo Goo Dolls

Warning Call - CHVRCHES Lostmyhead - The 1975 ILYSB - LANY

i hate u i love u - gnash Go Your Own Way - Lissie Ships In The Night - Mat Kearney

The Sound - The 1975 New York City - The Chainsmokers Better Love - Hozier

Inside Out ft. Charlee - The Chainsmokers Help! I'm Alive - Metric Chateau Lobby #4 - Father John Misty

Walk Away - LANY Give Me A Try - The Wombats Wake Me - Bleachers

Loving Someone - The 1975 Be Mine - Ellie Goulding and Eric Hassle Medicine - The 1975

Cleopatra - The Lumineers This Must Be My Dream - The 1975 Undiscovered - Laura Welsh

Talk Is Cheap - Chet Faker Maltida - Alt-J Greek Tragedy - The Wombats

So Good - Say Anything Fool - Perfume Genius Somebody Else - The 1975

I'm On Fire - AWOLNATION The Feeling ft. Halsey - Justin Bieber Empty Threat - CHVRCHES

Strong - One Direction Holding Out For A Hero - Ella Mae Bowen Sober - Selena Gomez

Me - The 1975 Glass Vase Cello Case - Tattle Tale I Won't Let You Walk Away ft. Madison Beer - Mako

Turning Page - Sleeping At Last Can't Help Falling In Love With You - Fleet Foxes First - Cold War Kids

fallingforyou - The 1975 Is There Somewhere - Halsey Gorgeous - X Ambassadors

Running If You Call My Name - HAIM Please Be Naked - The 1975 Your Type - Carly Rae Jepsen


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, I hope you guys are enjoying it and thank you as always for the reviews!**

 **I'm excited to share this chapter with you guys; I think many of you are going to be happy with this one.**

SEBASTIAN POV

Sebastian woke up angrily to his alarm. He slammed on the snooze button with force, causing it to fall off of his nightstand.

He rolled over on his back and stared up at his ceiling.

He had tried win over Clary, but lost his temper… again. Said the wrong things...again. And let Jace ruin everything...again.

 _Jace goddamned Lightwood._

Sebastian clenched a fist. It was _Jace's_ fault Clary and Sebastian were even in this situation to begin with.

If Jace hadn't beaten up Mel and his boys, Sebastian would've never flipped out on Clary.

Why couldn't Clary see it that way? _Jace_ was the real asshole, not Sebastian. _He_ was the reason Sebastian had come off looking so apathetic.

Besides, Sebastian had benched the three to get him back in her good graces. The one good thing about falling out with Clary again was that, out of frustration, he had taken the boys off the bench - which meant the team had regained their shot at winning.

But they're relationship was shot to hell at this point. No doubt about it.

Every time he tried to fix it, it broke even more.

It was useless.

But he wouldn't let Jace get away with all the bullshit he caused since he transferred.

Sebastian would make sure of that.

A small smile curved on his lips and he got out of bed.

ISABELLE POV

Izzy swept her mascara wand along her dark lashes. Turning her head from side to side, she checked each angle of her makeup. She smiled approvingly.

"Izzy you look beautiful." Clary said, from Isabelle's bed. She closed the magazine she was skimming to stand by the full-length mirror.

Clary had officially decided to skip the dance yesterday afternoon, but had agreed to stay at the Lightwoods's home and hang out with Alec and Magnus while the others were out.

Isabelle walked in front of it, smoothing out her red, shin length, strapless dress. She smiled again.

"Simon is going to love that." Clary said eyeing the dress.

Izzy blushed. She hated to admit it, but she was worried about how Simon would react. "You think?"

Clary snorted, "Isabelle, he would gawk if you were wearing a burlap sack. I just hope you don't give him a heart attack."

Izzy giggled, feeling some of the pressure lift off her shoulders.

She was nervous about tonight, she had such high expectations that she knew that even the slightest mishap could ruin it.

But so far, so good.

The doorbell rang and Clary smiled excitedly.

"I'll go get it."

CLARY POV

Clary smiled to herself as she walked down the townhouse stairs. Isabelle looked amazing, she and Simon were sure to have a great time.

A piano ballad echoed through the hallway, Clary looked around for speakers, but didn't see any.

She reached and swung open the door and found Simon playing nervously with his bow tie.

She smiled, big.

He was dressed in gray slacks and sports jacket and had his brown hair slicked back.

"Simon! You look great!" She bounced.

He entered hastily.

"Thanks," He muttered. Embarrassment coated his face, "but I'm having some trouble getting this thing straight." His fingers played clumsily with the silk bow.

Clary reached up to help and was able to situate the accent appropriately. She ran her hands quick on his shoulders and then his arm to wipe any dust or lint away.

She took a step back and beamed.

"Simon, you look so handsome." Izzy's voice sang.

Clary and Simon turned to the stairs, where Isabelle stood at the top. She had one hand delicately on the bannister, the other clutched a black satin handbag.

Simon's mouth opened in awe.

Isabelle walked gracefully down the stairs, Simon's mouth finally curving into a smile as she reached the final step.

"Izzy, wow. You look." He shook his head, looking her up and down. "Just, wow."

She beamed in response.

The music continued playing and Clary's brow furrowed. Was Ms. Lightwood playing a CD?

"What is that Izzy?" Clary asked, awkwardly interrupting a stare-off between Isabelle and Simon.

"Oh that's just Jace." She said, waving a dismissive hand.

She paused, "Actually would you mind telling him to come inside? Aline will be here any minute. Plus, depressing ballads are hardly appropriate pre-homecoming jams."

Clary nodded, "Um, sure." She knew there was a chance this could go south; the last time she had seen Jace, she lost her temper and blamed him for issues that were between Sebastian and her.

She left Izzy and Simon to gaze hopelessly in each other's eyes and she made a turn for the living room.

Towards the far end of the room, a threshold stood leading to a beautiful room with marble tile and white walls. The full length windows let in the early evening light artfully through the lace curtains.

In the middle of the room was a baby grand piano, where Jace sat with his eyes closed.

The light hit his back, shadowing his face but tracing the outline of his body. He glowed.

He really was an angel.

Without looking, his fingers grazed the keys effortlessly, emitting a beautiful, but melancholy tune.

Clary walked across the room quietly, fearful of interrupting him. He looked so serene and innocent. It was a rare form of Jace that she didn't want to spoil.

Clary reached the piano and stood silently on the opposite side of Jace.

Slowly, he opened his eyes as his fingers retreated from the ivories.

Clary blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't, the song was finished."

"That was very beautiful." She whispered.

"Thank you. Today is actually its 4th birthday." He said, staring at the keys.

"You wrote it? When you were 13?" She walked around to the bench to check for any music sheets.

He shrugged, not catching on to Clary's awe, "I like to play."

She nodded, looking at the keys herself. Carefully she took her index finger and traced them with the tip.

She had always wanted to play music, but never found the time to pursue any instruments.

"Do you want to learn a few things?" He asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head shyly. "Oh, no. I couldn't."

"Nonsense." He said, pulling her hand to sit down.

An electric shock ran up her fingers and through the rest of her body. She had to keep herself from gasping.

She slid into the bench, very aware that their thighs were touching.

"Place your finger on the F key."

"I don't know what key that is." She said looking down at her side of the keys.

He lifted her index finger and placed it softly on an ivory key. She ordered herself to keep calm at the feel of his touch.

Gently he pushed down on her finger and a note filled the room.

He did this with three others and guided her hand to execute a chord. After a few practices, he removed his hand from hers.

"There, now try it on your own." He said, nodding towards the keys.

Consciously, she put her now abandoned hand to the keys and to her surprise and delight, carried out the notes correctly.

She did it again to prove it was no fluke and a smile formed on her lips. "Hey, I did it."

He did this with two other chords; the two laughed on top of the music when Clary messed up one of them.

She turned to face him.

"You're a good student." Slowly, his eyes moved from hers to her lips.

Her breath hitched involuntarily. And she mimicked his line of vision.

She swallowed, lazing in the energy radiating off their bodies.

All of the feelings of nervousness, frustration, and uncertainly towards golden boy melted away in an instant.

She no longer cared about what she should do, or what she shouldn't do. All of those reasons for keeping her feelings platonic seemed like lame excuses now.

She wanted to kiss him.

 _Do it Clary_ , her insides screamed.

Her heart raced at the thought of meeting his lips with her own.

Her fingers twitched in her lap. They wanted to reach up and grab his face.

 _Kiss him. KISS HIM._

She breathed and leaned her head in slightly and he followed her lead.

Inches apart, she went to reach for his jaw.

The loud chime of the doorbell sounded off, followed by a "JACE, ALINE IS HERE!"

Clary bit her lip and silently cursed Aline.

She thought about going for it anyways, so what if they made Aline wait?

But, Jace was already running a hand through his hair and smoothing out his button down.

He breathed out, "We better get inside."

ALEC POV

Alec sat slouched on his living room couch, numbingly flipping through the channels on TV.

To the right of him, Clary sat drawing on the coffee table.

He sat up a bit, leaning over to take a peek at what she was working on.

It was no surprise that Alec found a sketched version of a boy who looked very similar to his brother.

He rolled his eyes and fell back into the couch.

 _Just tell each other you how you feel and relieve me from this painful display of immaturity. This isn't 6th grade._

He sighed, feeling a little guilty about his thoughts.

Jace and Clary's relationship wasn't his business. He was only judging because he was still bitter about his own issues.

8 days and still nothing from Magnus.

"I thought Magnus was supposed to be coming over." Clary said, without looking up. She erased a stroke and wiped away the eraser particles with the back of her hand.

Alec gritted his teeth at the sound of Magnus' name.

 _Relax, Alec. Clary has no idea._

Alec was about to answer her when the doorbell went off.

Alec thought he heard Clary mumble something along the lines of "that damn doorbell."

He got up slowly and trudged to his front door. He let out a small gasp when he opened it.

"Hi." Magnus whispered.

Alec's mouth gaped a bit. "What," He looked back to make sure Clary was still drawing. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you."

Alec crossed his arms defensively. "About what?"

"You know what, Alexander."

"Maybe. But it doesn't mean _I_ want to talk about it."

"You don't understand, though. It wasn't what you thought it was."

"Oh really? So I didn't walk in on my boyfriend entertaining another gentleman under the influence of a cheap merlot?"

Magnus sighed, "Ragnor is just a friend. Not even, he is an acquaintance. He was helping me with a business deal."

Alec rolled his eyes. "That would've been a little more believable if you hadn't let him insult me."

"To be fair, Alec. _You_ were acting rude, too."

"And so were you!" Alec's voice raised unintentionally. He cleared his throat to calm himself down. He didn't want to make a scene in front of Clary. "You made it seem like I was walking in on something."

"That's because you were."

Alec's heart sunk. He looked at the ground, afraid tears would starting filling his eyes.

He shook his head.

"Right, well. I hope you two are very happy with each other." He went to shut the door, but it was stopped by Magnus' blue-polish-covered fingers.

"I told you already, it wasn't _that_ sort of something."

Alec threw his hands up. "Then what Magnus? What sort of _something_ was it? What something had to be kept from me? What was so secretive that you tried to kick me out, even though I came all the way to see you?

Alec put his hands on his hips, annoyed, but willing to listen. He prepared himself for a long drawn out explanation. Some lame, yet elaborate excuse to cover Magnus' tracks.

But Alec got something he never expected.

"I bought an apartment in the city."

"What?" Alec choked out.

"Ragnor Fell is a real estate agent. Cranky, a pain in the butt, but he is good at what he does. He was finalizing the deal for me."

"You bought an apartment?" Alec whispered. "In the city?"

Magnus nodded. "A few blocks over."

"But, why?" His voice was almost inaudible.

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Because I care about you more than anything else in this world, Alexander." He took a cautious step closer and looked deep into Alec's eyes. "The move has been just as hard on me as its been on you. You being far away is not something I'm willing to get used to. Besides, I wanted to be able to help you celebrate your senior year and help you through whatever life decides to hit you with." He reached out and caressed Alec's cheek.

Alec stood speechless.

He had spent hours and hours trying to analyze what went wrong and what he could've done to drive Magnus to another person.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to wait until it was a sure thing, and then it kind of became a surprise. You know me, big gestures, lots of drama." He laughed softly.

Alec gave a small laugh, too. A tear ran swiftly down his cheek. He sniffled and wiped it quickly.

"I thought I lost you, I thought I wasn't good enough," He started.

Magnus made a face of horror, "There is never going to be another person for me. You are it."

Alec pressed his forehead against Magnus', "Thank you."

He closed his eyes and for the first time in the last two weeks, felt at home.

SIMON POV

For a high-school gymnasium, Alicante's events committee sure did a good job.

The walls were covered in streamers and accents of school spirit. The floor had fake leaves scattered and signs wishing the football team good luck were taped up everywhere.

A DJ worked the stage and half of the student body grooved to the music blaring from the huge speakers.

Simon swallowed, he hadn't thought about actual dancing. He made a small face of horror as he imagined himself making a fool out of himself next to Izzy. A shudder ran through his body.

 _Just cross that bridge when you get to it._

He looked at Izzy, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

His apprehension faded quickly as he was reminded that he was with the most amazing girl at the dance.

"Do you want to get a drink?"

She nodded. They headed over to the refreshments table for some waters.

Simon looked over and found Jace and Aline sitting nearby with some other cheerleaders and their dates.

He looked…unhappy.

Jace sat back, coolly and idly checking out the dance floor while Aline bopped up and down from talking. He seemed distracted and detached from what was happening right in front of him.

"Ugh," Izzy groaned, following Simon's line of vision. "Jace shouldn't have even bothered coming. He doesn't even like Aline."

"He doesn't?" Simon asked, pushing up his glasses and focusing harder on the table.

"No." She bit her lip and leaned in, "And to tell you the truth, I think he is using her."

That wasn't much a surprise. Simon had never personally experienced it, but rumor had it that Aline wasn't such a tough conquest in terms of getting _intimate._

"Yeah well, she _is_ easy. Or so I've heard."

Izzy shook her head, "No, not like that." She lowered her voice to a whisper. Simon leaned in, afraid he wouldn't hear her over the music. "He hasn't admitted it, but I think he has something for Clary. Something strong. Which is very unlike him. Yeah, he has gone out with Aline and he brought her here, but he all but begs me and Alec not to leave him alone with her whenever she comes over. I think it is just a cover for how he really feels."

Simon blinked and turned back to the table once more.

He had suspected Clary and Jace's relationship wasn't so platonic, but he had assumed Clary would've said something to him if anything more was going on.

But he had studied Jace and the way he looked at Clary, it was hard to ignore what was right in front of Simon's face.

And now, watching Jace with Aline, it all made sense.

"Wow, I think you're on to something." He said, looking back at Izzy.

Her eyes widened, "Please don't say anything to Clary though! This is all sort of a theory I'm working on. I don't want to tell her all of this just for it to be wrong." She bit her lip, "Besides, it isn't even my place to tell her anyway." She nodded towards Jace.

Simon nodded in agreement, "Don't worry. I won't."

He hoped he looked more cool than he felt.

Lie to Clary? This wasn't going to be easy.

 _You're not lying, you're just_ not _telling her something. Its two completely different things._

"Can we go dance?" Izzy asked, clapping her hands together.

 _Ah, excellent. Another thing to worry about._

CLARY POV

The evening flew by, much to Clary's surprise.

Magnus had finally showed up and she sketched a drawing of him and Alec sitting comfortably on the couch.

The door burst open at exactly 11pm and in shuffled Isabelle, Simon, and Jace. Aline and Helen followed in tow.

"Everyone is on their way!" Izzy clapped happily when she entered the living room. "You three! Up! It's time to party!"

Jace looked at Magnus and then to Alec, giving his brother a questioning look.

Alec gave him the OK gesture with his fingers, and Jace nodded approvingly.

Clary looked away, clearly watching a private, and apparently telepathic, conversation.

"A soiree in a townhouse full of teenagers, can't wait." Magnus said sarcastically. "There better be alcohol." He pointed at Isabelle.

Izzy grabbed his arm to lead him to the kitchen, "Not to worry, there is _plenty_."

Alec followed, leaving Clary alone with Jace and the two other girls.

"So, how was the dance?" She asked awkwardly.

Jace took a seat on the couch and lounged back. The hem of his shirt creeping up slightly above his waist line.

Aline eyed it, hard. "Oh it was a blast." She sauntered over and nestled herself in next to Jace. "Too bad you didn't have anyone to go with."

She didn't even attempt to make it sound sympathetic and Helen let out a small snort.

"It wasn't that great." Jace piped up, relieving Clary from her embarrassment and transferring it to Aline. Aline eyes widened in offense.

Clary smiled shyly, "Good to know I didn't miss much."

Aline thought for a moment, before draping a leg over Jace's.

She smiled, "God, I can't wait for everyone else to get here. The football team is so excited to let off some steam."

"Shouldn't they stay in tonight if the big game is tomorrow?" Clary asked.

She let her mind drift to Sebastian and if he was doing OK.

"Yes, but they've all been working so hard and need a night of fun." Aline's eyes darted to Clary "Especially Sebastian."

Jace finally spoke up, "Sebastian is coming?"

Clary could've sworn she caught a small wince in Jace's expression, but he gathered himself before she could make anything of it.

"Jace." Isabelle said. None of them had heard her enter the room. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He huffed and followed his sister.

Helen sat down next to Aline and the two started to gab, blatantly leaving Clary to stand in silence.

She retreated to the kitchen, on her way she heard voices coming from down the hallway.

"Promise me, no fights, no drama tonight." Isabelle whispered.

"Relax, Izzy. I'm not going to do anything." Jace murmured.

"Yeah, one minute you say that, and the next you have someone pinned up against the wall." She sighed. "I don't like Sebastian, either, but for the sake of the party, just keep it cool."

An hour and a half later, the Lightwood residence was crawling with Alicante High students.

In the bedrooms, on the stairs, on the counters, and tables. It was like a scene from a high-school movie.

Clary was waiting to drink for Sebastian to come; she didn't want her judgement to be off when he got there. What if he wanted to talk? What if he tried to get back together with her?

 _Wait, were they officially broken up?_

Her guard would be completely down and she needed to be strong to stand her ground.

She sat with her friends in the living room and watched them play Kings on the coffee table. After a while she started to relax.

Pretending she had no worries or stress, she laughed and joked with the group and was pleased to find Alec, Magnus, and Izzy getting along famously with the Alicante natives.

"Here." Maia held out a bottle of vodka towards Clary. "No fun playing if you're not drinking!" She said with a big smile.

Everyone let out their own words of encouragement, while Clary shook her head, laughing.

She turned to the doorway and noticed Aline leading Jace up the stairs by his hand.

Her face fell.

All of that worry, and stress, had packed back on her shoulders.

Jordan whistled, "Looks like someone is getting lucky tonight."

Maia giggled and swatted his arm.

Clary looked at her hands.

She had seen Jace and Aline together many times now, but it never seemed so serious.

This was different, they were obviously moving faster than Clary had assumed.

They were obviously very into each other.

And now there was only one word to describe what Clary had written off as irritation and (misplaced) jealousy in the past: pain.

She felt a small ache in her chest.

She sure hadn't felt that way when Sebastian and her had their falling out.

"Give me that."

Everyone's heads snapped back to Clary as she sat with her hand held out. She nodded towards the vodka bottle.

"Now."

Maia obliged and Clary tipped her head with her eyes closed and chugged.

Not being a heavy drinker, it didn't take long for Clary's world to become blurry.

She was talking to people she hadn't spoken to since middle school, playing games with jocks. She even did a keg stand.

At one point she finally saw Sebastian.

The two made eye contact, but Clary darted away to the bathroom before he could interact with her.

She trudged down the hall. She was so drunk, she had thankfully forgotten all about Jace.

That was until she found him in the kitchen.

He stood against the counter, next to Alec and Magnus. The three laughed at something Jace whispered.

 _Who does he think he is? Standing there. Thinking. Thinking that he thinks he is the best thing on the planet._

Clary's brow furrowed as she tried to process the thoughts that were hitting her like a tidal wave.

"Thinking a little too hard?" Jace called from across the room at her. He smirked.

 _I don't have the time for golden boy's stupid crap!_

 _Why don't you go make out with Aline?_ She wanted to yell, but she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, down the hallway, past the drunk teenagers, past Sebastian calling after her, and out the door.

She took a deep breath in the cold air. It felt good.

She was finished with the party. Finished with _Jace._

Looking down the street, she racked her brain for the nearest subway station.

 _Up an avenue?_ She turned her head in the other direction. _Or maybe it's down that way?_

"It's a little chilly to be hanging out here, don't you think?"

Clary closed her eyes in frustration before turning around.

"What. Do YOU want?" She said, swaying a bit.

"I came to see why you seemed so angry with me. And to make sure you were OK."

Clary rolled her eyes, "What do you care? Doesn't matter though. Going home." She waved her hand dismissively.

Randomly she picked a direction and started walking.

She heard him jog to catch up to her. "You're going home?"

She nodded. "That's what I said."

"Clary," He stopped her by pulling her arm gently. "Don't go home. It's late and dangerous,"

She huffed in frustration to cut him off. "Jace, you can't tell me what to do. I want to go home. I'm going home. OK? Go back to your little party and your little _Aline."_ She hiccupped and then continued walking.

 _Was that too mean? Maybe, I should say sorry. I don't want to be mean._

Deep down she knew she was second guessing because she wanted an excuse to stay with him. She shook her head.

 _Stay confident, Clary._ Hiccup. _Don't look back._ Hiccup. _Don't look back!_

She heard a groan followed by some footsteps and Jace was by her side.

"Jace. I told you,"

"I'm taking you home."

JACE POV

Jace held Clary's elbow as she headed up her back porch steps. She fumbled a little, the arch of her foot slipping off the edge of the step, forcing Jace to catch her.

"I swear, I swear I'm not this .. clumsy you know." Her words slow. He could feel her staring up at him with her big eyes.

"Clary if you want to stare, I'll give you a picture of my face. But right now, I need you to watch where you're going. He said, stealing a glimpse at her. She blushed and looked away.

He shook his head, "Let's get you inside."

Carefully with one arm around her waist, he used his free hand to open the back door. It creaked open a little, but to Jace's gratuity, didn't make enough noise to cause a commotion.

He guided her into the kitchen, slowly shutting the door again.

Jace scanned the room quickly, no sign of anyone. He looked beyond the kitchen, through the doorway that led to the living room. Empty, as well.

He took a relieving sigh, then looked around again. This time, more thoroughly.

Jace thought about Clary and her parents eating breakfast before she went to school. And dinner at night. Did she sketch in here? He imagined a five-year-old redhead running around and making a mess.

His revelry was interrupted by the loud bang of a pot falling to the floor.

"Whoops." Clary said. She was on her tip toes, reaching at an open cabinet. She blindly swatted her hand around, obviously looking for something.

Jace squinted, eyeing a box of Mac and Cheese just out of her reach.

He sauntered over and without hassle, took it out of the cabinet. She came down on her feet and gave an embarrassed smile as he handed it to her.

"I would've gotten it eventually, Mr. Golden boy." She slurred. He raised his eyebrows at her sass.

"Yes, but we don't have days." He smirked. She scowled for a moment before biting her lip, trying not to smile.

 _She likes when you tease her._ He made a mental note, light banter was ok.

"By the way, whats Mr. Golden boy mean?" he asked

She picked up the pot on the floor and padded to the sink, filling it up. She hummed absentmindedly, trying to stand up straight.

"Oh nothing."

Jace watched as she lifted the pot from the sink and turn. It was too heavy for her to balance by herself. He jumped up and grabbed it before it splashed all over the ground.

"I got it, I got it." She swatted, thinking she had finally balanced it in her hands. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Jace's hand under the pot was the only thing keeping it from tipping over.

She rolled her eyes, "Mr. Hot and Cold, too" She set the pot the stove and without caution, set the burners on.

"Excuse me?" Jace said.

"It's like this Jace," She said, matter-of-factly, "One day you want to see me, the next day you don't, the next you want to talk, the next day you ignore me and go kiss Aline, instead."

"Instead?" He asked.

"Instead of me." Her face scrunched up in disgust.

Clary was jealous? His mouth opened slightly.

"It's like," She began, Jace waited in painful anticipation, "I like you, but I don't even know you." Her hands waving around. "And, and I think you like me, too. But nothing happens." She shrugged and hiccuped.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to her food, pouring in the hard macaroni into the water.

Jace stood there, silently. Was that the end of the conversation? Was that it?

Only Clary could get away with addressing this deliciously painful back-and-forth and silent issue in two sentences and then move on.

But, she had feelings for him.

Jace wouldn't move on from that.

Suddenly the front door swung open and Jace heard laughing from two voices.

Clary's eyes widened.

Jace looked at her, "Don't say anything. Let me do the talking ok?" She nodded obediently.

He bit his lip and despite his better judgement, cupped her face and rubbed his thumb gently across her cheek. Her eyes glimmered in response.

He pulled away as the voices moved towards the kitchen.

In came a woman with red hair, just like Clary's. This was obviously her mother.

But the other person made Jace squint his eyes in confusion.

 _Mr. Graymark?_

"Oh, hello there." Jocelyn said, jumping at the sight of Clary and Jace. Her eyes widened. "I'm uh, Jocelyn Fray."

"Mr. Graymark?" Jace said, unintentionally ignoring Jocelyn.

"He's back!" Clary exclaimed. "He is back. He was here and now he is back." She pointed at her mother. "You thought I didn't know," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "but I knew."

She lost her balance and fell into Jace.

He sighed. Why he ever thought this was going to well, he didn't know.

Mr. Graymark tried hide his embarrassment.

"Hello Jace, Clary."

"Clary, are you drunk?" Jocelyn said, putting her hands on her hips.

Clary shook her head no, but her hiccups said yes.

Jocelyn looked to Jace warily, "And you are?"

"Jace." He said as politely as he could. Jocelyn's eyes lit up momentarily and darted to Clary. He followed her lead, just in time to see Clary blush.

 _Does she know who I am?_

Jocelyn cleared her throat, "And where is Simon?"

Jace couldn't exactly tell Clary's mother that Simon was busy hooking up with his younger sister. "Simon is a bit tied up at the moment."

She nodded, "Alright, and Sebastian?"

She must've not known about their falling out.

Jace gritted his teeth, he would be damned if he tried to make Sebastian look good, ESPECIALLY in the eyes of Clary's mother.

"Sebastian is currently raiding my mother's liquor cabinet."

Jocelyn looked dismayed.

 _Good call._

"So _you_ brought Clary home?"

Jace nodded.

"From midtown." Clary added.

"You brought her all the way to Brooklyn?"

He shrugged, "I tried to convince her to stay, but she insisted on coming home. I doubt she could've handled herself if she had attempted to make the trip alone."

Clary huffed, he looked down at her, "I'm. Not a kid, Jace." The timer on the microwave went off and she squealed, "Mac and cheese!"

They all stared at her in spite of the irony. She cleared her throat. "I mean; my macaroni is ready."

Jace noticed Mr. Graymark stifle a laugh, Jocelyn sighed.

"Would you two excuse my daughter and I for a moment."

Jace and Mr. Graymark headed towards the living room.

On the couch they awkwardly sat in silence for a minute.

From the kitchen, they could hear bits of Jocelyn's lecture:

"What were you thinking?" "You shouldn't be drinking like this."

"So," Mr. Graymark coughed. "How's it going, Jace?"

Jace eyed him, "Small talk. Really?"

Mr. Graymark's raised his eyebrows.

Jace immediately regretted his response. Just because they were outside of school didn't mean he didn't owe Mr. Graymark some sort of respect.

"I'm fine. Not exactly how I pictured my Saturday evening, but whatever." He said to in a lame attempt to redeem himself.

Mr. Graymark nodded, "It was very kind of you to look out for Clary."

Some more silence.

"Are you two, like, a thing?" He asked awkwardly.

"No, just friends." Jace responded. He tried hard not to dwell on how badly he wanted to say yes.

Returning back to the silence again, Jocelyn's voice once again carried into the living room.

"I just don't want you getting hurt." She said sternly.

It went quiet for a moment and Jace decided they must've finished their conversation. He got up to let them know he'd be leaving.

As he approached the threshold, he hesitated when Jocelyn spoke up again.

"So, that's Jace. I can see why you're so conflicted."

This was followed by a small giggle from Clary.

Jace's heart leapt. Clary had told her mom about him. He quickly hid the grin that filled his face and he entered the room.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said, putting his hands up in surrender.

Clary blushed at the sight of him.

 _She's wondering if I heard them talking about me._

"I'm going to get going. I just wanted to say goodnight."

Jocelyn nodded and stood up from the table. "It was nice meeting you Jace, thank you for getting her home safely."

"Thats Mr. Golden Boy Lightwood for you." Clary slurred.

Jocelyn's smile faded, "Clary, what did you just say? Lightwood?"

Clary nodded.

"Thats my last name." Jace added.

"Oh, how uh, unique." She said and she quickly exited the kitchen.

Had Jace said something to offend Ms. Fray?

He looked to Clary, who was looking at her fingers.

"No thank you for your safe delivery?" He asked sarcastically. The corners of her mouth curved up. He took the seat next to her.

She peeked up through her hair in her face at him.

She was so beautiful, he wondered if she knew it.

He pushed the hair out of her face on one side and tucked it behind her ear.

"Do you have to go?" She whispered.

Her eyes begged for a "no."

Jace didn't want to leave, either.

"I suppose I can stay a little longer. You're going to need some help finishing all that Mac and Cheese."

She giggled. What a lovely sound that was.

She stared at him, and him at her. Her eyes flickered to his lips, just like they did earlier this evening.

How badly Jace had wanted to throw her on the piano and kiss her passionately. To run his fingers through that fiery hair and grab her waist...

He rolled his eyes internally. The only reason he had stopped himself was because he knew if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. And Jace could be a jerk, but he wasn't cruel enough to stand up Aline in his own home.

He snapped back to reality.

Did she want him to kiss her? Her lips parted slightly. Should her kiss her?

He moved in slowly, gauging her reaction. She didn't move away, instead she moved in towards him.

He wanted this, badly.

And she had confirmed her feelings for him.

 _But she's drunk. Very drunk._

But she had spoken to her mother about him. And seemed to be jealous of Aline. This wasn't a drunk fluke.

 _You need to wait until she's sober._

An inch away from her lips, he sighed. This wasn't right. He wanted to do it while they were both in the right states of mind; alone, sober, and definitely not 50 ft away from Mr. Graymark.

"Clary, we can't do this."

She winced at his words, "Why not?" Her mouth formed a small pout.

"It isn't right. Not now at least," He went.

Her eyes shined a little, "You don't want me."

Jace's eyes widened in disbelief.

In front of him sat this beautiful, talented, short-tempered, brave girl that in a matter of two weeks, had done what no one else had been able to do in his entire life. She had completely, and apparently unknowingly, consumed Jace and as much as he hated feeling so out of control, there was nothing more wonderful than being near her.

And now, his face was inches from hers and he was giving up his chance.

He studied her face, horrified to find that she genuinely believed Jace was rejecting her.

She stared back at him with a pained and embarrassed expression.

Jace's body reacted before his mind could catch up.

His hands grabbed her face and he brought her lips to his. Though she was startled at first, Clary gripped his wrists and let her mouth move with his.

They quickly fell into a seamless rhythm as if kissing each other was as familiar and effortless as breathing. She tasted so sweet, despite the taste of the alcohol that remained on her tongue.

Her lips felt like home.

She moaned into his mouth and Jace was uncomfortably reminded that Jocelyn and Mr. Graymark were still in the other room.

Slowly, the momentum decreased and Jace removed his lips.

She stared at him, wide-eyed and blushing. He panted a little, trying to bring himself back to reality.

He leaned in, "I don't think it would make that great of an impression if your mother walked in on me making out with her drunk daughter."

"I'm not drunk." And right on cue, she squeaked out a hiccup.

Jace rolled his eyes, "Fine. You're not drunk." He softened his voice, "I probably should be going, though."

She nodded, fidgeting her fingers. Jace rose and pushed in his chair, moving as slowly as he could.

He didn't want to leave, but he knew Izzy and Alec might be looking for him and he doubted that Clary's mother would be happy about him staying the night.

 _Especially after how weird she acted before she left._

"Are you going back because of Aline?"

He froze and turned. Where did that come from?

She cocked her head, "I saw you two. Go upstairs before." Her slurring was starting to fade, Jace knew she was beginning to sober up.

He sighed. "No, I am not."

"Oh."

She didn't believe him.

"She brought me upstairs to seduce me, and I thought I wanted to be."

He watched Clary visibly flinch, "And Aline is very attractive, but I don't feel anything romantic towards her. At all."

"You don't?" Clary whispered.

He shook his head. And for a moment it was silent; words were piling up in his head, begging to be spit out.

"As it turns out, I'm more interested in artists with tempers." He smirked.

The corners of her mouth curved upwards.

He turned around once more and headed for the door. He could feel Clary watching him as he walked, which made him smile to himself.

He reached the backdoor and let his fingers graze the door knob. He paused before turning it.

All of the excuses he had thought of to justify his departure had slipped his mind. He couldn't think of one reason to leave her.

And he didn't want to.

"On second thought, there's no way you can finish all that Mac and Cheese on your own."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I made this chapter a little longer than the last, as always I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Really quickly though, I just wanted to remind everyone that some of the views on things (Sebastian's) are not my own and are strictly based off the character that Cassandra Clare created.**

Clary POV

Clary scraped the last of her Mac and Cheese with her fork. "I don't remember him, my mom doesn't like to talk about him, and as far as I know, there are no pictures or anything left behind." She shrugged. "It's almost like there was no trace of him."

She looked down; Simon was the only person Clary spoke to about her father. And even then, it was almost always a short dead-end conversation. But sitting here, talking with Jace… it was something much different. He listened intently, nodding so she knew he was paying attention. His eyes flickered, out of sympathy or something else. But suddenly she felt sort of…sad. Maybe it was the dwindling alcohol that was still nesting in her blood.

Clary shook her head, "Enough about me, though." She dropped her spoon into the bowl and pushed it away from her. "What about you? What about your biological parents?"

The words came out before she had time to think about it. He inhaled sharply, worrying Clary that her tone hadn't been soft or cautious enough. It was a pretty invasive question.

"My mother died when I was born and my father raised me on his own, but passed away when I was 10." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "That's really it."

She nodded, not following up with any other inquiries. He clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore. She racked her brain for something to say, or another topic. But her mind just went blank.

"Stop that." Jace said. Clary looked at him, confused. "Stop feeling like you need to fix this. I can tell you feel bad for asking, you don't have to."

Clary bit her lip. "I'm just sorry for being so intrusive."

He lifted a limp hand up to stop her. "Anything else your intrusive mind would like to know? I'm open to other topics."

Butterflies erupted in her stomach, because there was.

"Yes." Clary said, her lips twitching into a small smile. "Something I've actually been meaning to ask you,"

"If its whether I'm as good in bed as it looks, the answer is yes."

"Jace!" She looked to the threshold that lead into the living room, relieved Jocelyn wasn't anywhere in earshot.

He flashed a wide grin and she felt her cheeks get hot. Briefly her mind pictured Jace, laying on her bed without a shirt on. Her face must've been the color of ketchup.

"Go on," He said.

Clary took a deep breath in, "OK. Well, from what I've gathered, you feel something for me." She said it cautiously, not wanting to scare him off.

"Actually I'm just using you to get to Simon."

She rolled her eyes, but continued without humoring him. "But if you like me now, what changed? You hated me when we met, or at least it seemed like it. I just don't understand."

Jace's eyes widened a bit in surprise; he hadn't been expecting this. A small amount of giddiness gushed in her stomach.

Catching Jace Lightwood off guard was obviously a rarity.

His astonishment was soon replaced by laughter and her satisfaction was overtaken by irritation.

Clary glared at him, he was _laughing_ at her.

"Is something funny?" She snapped.

"Yes, you." He pointed. Finally, he sighed and then leaned in, she followed. "Clary," She melted at the sound her voice coming from his lips. "why do little boys pull little girls' hair? And steal their toys and call them names?"

Clary's thought for a moment, realizing what he was trying to say. She let out a small "Oh."

"It's a defense mechanism as old as time and as immature as it is overused. But I didn't know what else to do." Jace reached out and grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Normally when I'm attracted to someone, I would charm them until they were eating out of the palm of my hand – and without difficulty. But not you, even before I was introduced to you, Clary I knew that wouldn't be the case. There was something about you, and it scared me. I was scared of how drawn to you I was, of how you were the first girl in my entire life that I wasn't confident I could have. So, I acted out. I was rejecting you before you could reject me." He put his head down, almost in shame.

Clary's mouth parted in awe, she hadn't been aware she was holding her breath.

"Unfortunately," He continued without looking up. "I do have a personality as impulsive and explosive as a volcano and my efforts to keep you at a distance failed miserably." He looked up then, "You were right you know, my spiteful behavior towards Sebastian was because of you."

"Wow." She whispered, trying to take in everything she had just been told. She wanted to say something worthy of a response to it. But she came up short. What could she say? Gee, thanks? She had only known Jace for a short while, but knew this was probably difficult for him to admit. He stared absently at the ceramic bowl in front of him. She let out a deep breath and cleared her mind.

Just tell him the truth, she thought.

"You're all I've thought about for the past two weeks." He turned and looked at her slowly. She looked down at her hands, unexpectedly self-conscious of her voice. "I think," She breathed deeply again, still not believing she was about admit this, "I think part of me was sort of glad that Sebastian had ruined things. I think if we were still together, I'd be looking for reasons to break it off. Because of you."

"Clary," He started, but she cut him off.

"I thought it was just a silly crush. Or, a weird attraction, I mean every girl in school is attracted to you, why would I be different? But seeing you with Aline, I hated it. And I couldn't deny the fact that I was forming real feelings. But I think all the events of the past two weeks just amplified what I already knew was there from the moment I saw you."

Clary felt vulnerable, but it was like a weight lift off her shoulders. She didn't look up at Jace; her admission was just as hard for her to admit and she was still processing the fact that she told him.

Suddenly his hands came to her cheeks, lifting her face up and once again, he pressed his lips to hers. It was less urgent than before, but more passionate. Wrapped around in the tension from both of their confessions, Jace deepened the kiss and Clary pulled him towards her. His hands moved to her waist, and wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair softly, and she moved her hands up to his face. Finally, she got to touch and examine his cheekbones and jaw and she breathed into his mouth with delight.

Never had Clary kissed someone with so much want and need. Her and Sebastian had only made out a handful of times, leaving her mildly satisfied. She thought that was the way it went; you kissed as a sign of your romantic feelings, sure, but she never thought it could feel like _this._

"Ah-em." A fake cough interrupted the two. Clary pulled away from Jace to see Jocelyn standing in the threshold. Her face flushed unforgivingly and she scrambled off of Jace's lap. He stood up, just as flustered and out of breath as she.

Jocelyn stared at them with irritation and also, Clary thought, some embarrassment, too.

"I was just on my way out." Jace said, smoothing out his jeans.

Jocelyn nodded, "Probably for the best."

He walked backwards to the back door, "It was nice meeting you." He said to Jocelyn, before turning the door knob. "Goodnight Clary." And he slipped out.

She watched the door close quietly behind him and was suddenly hit with a tiny wave of sadness. She whipped her head to Jocelyn. "That was kind of rude. You didn't even say goodnight."

"I don't have to say goodnight to a stranger acting like that with my daughter." She huffed. "Get upstairs, you need to sleep."

"Jeez, OK." Clary said.

She left the kitchen and found Mr. Graymark still sitting in the living room. He was in the armchair, reading the newspaper.

What was he still doing here?

She looked and made sure Jocelyn was preoccupied in the kitchen before walking over to him.

"Hi, Mr. Graymark." She said. He jumped a little.

"Oh, hi Clary. Didn't see you there." He smiled, as if this wasn't weird.

She decided to get right to it.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

His smile turned into a nervous line. He folded the paper neatly and set it on the coffee table.

"Clary." Clary turned and found her mother standing in the threshold, again.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Mom, I'm just wondering why,"

"Bed." Jocelyn said more sternly. She used her 'Don't mess with me' tone.

Defeated, and exhausted from the night, she gave up and resolved to bring it up again in the morning.

"Goodnight." She said and spun on her heel with her head high.

When the two couldn't see her face anymore, she let her lips curve into a grin that stayed with her until she fell asleep.

JOCELYN POV

Jocelyn watched her daughter climb the stairs slowly and waited until she heard a doorknob click. She sighed before looking at Luke.

He still sat in the arm chair across the room, but his face had fallen into a frown.

"Oh don't look at me like that." She said waving a hand like she was swatting away a fly and retreated to the kitchen. She walked over to the table and collected the bowls that contained now-hardened cheese around the rims.

"Jocelyn, you need to talk to her, its time." Luke said, meeting her at the sink. He sighed as she placed the bowls into it. "Keeping secrets, the lying, I mean it isn't right,"

"I know, I know." She said, leaning on the rim of the sink. She shook her head and looked at Luke, surprised to find a pained expression on his face.

"I miss her, you know." He whispered. "I don't like watching her grow from a distance. I mean for heaven's sake, Jocelyn, I was there when she was born. I helped teach her how to walk." He shook his head in exasperation.

Jocelyn's face fell. She knew that he was right. Vivid memories of the past clouded her mind.

Tears streamed from Jocelyn's face as she stuffed random items into a duffel bag. She panted as she moved to the closet and grabbed as much as she could physically fit. She moved to the dresser and for a split moment looked up into the mirror.

Her face was stricken with fear, streaks of mascara stained her cheekbones, and her nose was red from sniffing. Her hair was piled on top of her hair, held slopplily with a pair of chopsticks. She swallowed. Could she do this? Should she do this? She had gone over this moment a thousand times; dreaming of the day she would find the courage.

And as if her thoughts and her stomach were telepathically connected, Jocelyn felt a small kick from the inside of her abdomen. A reminder of why she was doing this in the first place. Her glassy eyes transformed from that of a frightened deer in headlights to a determined lioness. She placed a hand on her stomach protectively.

She _was_ really doing this; she was really fleeing.

"It was just such a dark time, I wanted to pretend like it didn't exist." She sighed, running the water.

"Sharing that part of your life with her isn't going to change anything, Jocelyn. He is gone, he isn't coming back. You're safe now." He said, rubbing a comforting a hand on the small of her back.

"I need to talk to Maryse." Jocelyn said decidedly.

Luke threw up his hands in frustration, "What good is that going to do?"

"They were _kissing_ , Luke. Clearly Clary and the boy have something going on." She turned and walked over the table. She put her head in her hands.

He followed in suit, "He said they were just friends." He paused. "But I suppose he could've been lying."

"He was _raised_ by Valentine. There is no way Jace's mind was left untouched by him. He could be just as cruel, just as…violent," Jocelyn said, lifting her head.

"Jocelyn," Luke reached out, but she flinched away.

"No, no. You should hear how Clary talks about him. He is charming and good-looking, she's completely smitten." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "The same way I was."

IZZY POV

Izzy sat cross-legged on her satin sheets while Simon explained a game called Dungeons & Dragons. If she had to be honest, the whole thing sounded very…nerdy. But she liked how excited Simon was while talking about it and that was good enough for her.

Simon was much different than the boys she was used to dating. The usual roster of boys consisted of arrogant jocks and bad boys that were so full of themselves, they hardly cared about being gentlemen. Plus, they barely ever got to know Isabelle. Most of the time, they dated her for her looks.

But with Simon, she felt different. Superficiality was a thing of the past when it came to him.

"Izzy." He said, she blinked. He smiled, "I knew I was boring, but that may be the first time someone has fallen asleep with their eyes open on me."

She blushed and let out a small laugh, "I _was_ paying attention."

"Ah the fateful _was._ " He said, "I _was_ going to call, I _was_ going to show up," He eyed her slyly, "I _was_ interested in what you had to say until I realized I'd rather watch paint dry."

"Don't be such a smart ass. I _was_ paying attention, but I got distracted." She crossed her arms.

He raised his eyebrows, "OK. By?"

"By you." She said quietly. His eye brows stayed raised, indicating he wanted her to go on. She looked at her ankles and shy smile formed on her lips. She prepared to answer him; she would tell him that she could listen to him talk for hours, that she loved how funny and smart he was, and that she liked him, a lot.

But a little voice piped up in her head. Only the voice wasn't hers, it was her mother's.

 _This isn't any your faults; we still love you. But we feel your father and I's time has run out._

The same nauseating pit that settled in her stomach after hearing those words was back. She felt ill.

"Iz?" Simon asked, breaking the silence.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I spaced out. It's been a long night." She looked sheepishly to the side. "I actually don't feel so well; it might be the alcohol or something."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Simon's face fall a little. She bit her lip before speaking again, as if she was going to change her mind the last minute.

"Maybe you should leave, it's getting late."

Isabelle finally looked back to Simon, his face had reddened a bit.

"Oh." He pushed up his glasses. "Are you sure? If you're sick, I can get you something."

Her heart constricted at his words. "No, no its OK. Really, I just want to pass out." She laughed emptily.

He nodded and scrambled off of her bed. "OK, well feel better Iz." And with that, he exited her room.

She sighed heavily and crawled to the head of her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest wishing it was Simon.

JACE POV

Jace walked up his stoop feeling more content than he had in a long time. He hadn't even attempted to conceal his shit-eating grin on the way home from Clary's.

 _And to think, I thought this night was going to be dreadful._

Of course, there was the whole awkward exchange with Clary's mother, but he could fix that easily. All and all the night couldn't have gone better.

His door was unlocked and he knew that meant some people would still be there. As he walked in he only found around fifteen people. The majority were sloppily making out with each other or having private conversations. He gave an uninterested wave to them as they looked over. In return, he received a couple of glares from the guys whose girls were now gawking at him.

"Parties over guys. You don't have to go home, but you need to get the hell out of my house."

A couple of groans sounded, but slowly the remaining teens began to shuffle out.

Jace turned for the staircase but was met with Simon.

"Hit and run? To be honest, I didn't take you as a heartbreaker." He said smirking.

"Excuse me, but I have much more important things to do than sit around and exchange banter with you." Simon replied, walking past him. "Like getting hit by the F train." He walked out.

Maybe his relationship with Izzy had fizzled out already. It wouldn't be a surprise, he's not the first guy that has left Isabelle's room in defeat.

Isabelle left her room the same time Jace was entering his, in her hand was a backpack.

"Running away?" He said eyeing it. "Packing light is a smart move."

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood, either. "It's Clary's. Is she still here?"

Jace shook his head. "I took her home."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows suggestively, but Jace said nothing to indulge her.

Finally, she nodded, "I'll just give it to her tomorrow, or something." The top of the pack was unzipped and faintly Jace could see Clary's sketch book peeking out of the opening. Isabelle went to return to her room.

"Actually," Jace said, walking over to her, "I'll hold on to it." He reached for it, but Izzy yanked it back.

Izzy glared at him suspiciously. "Why do you want it?"

He shrugged, "I think she might've brought her physics notes with her, and I missed class the other day…" The words were lame leaving his mouth. He wished had a better excuse.

Her lips turned into a smile, "Obsess much?"

He yanked it away from her. "Shut up, Izzy."

Both retreated to their respective bedrooms and Jace took Clary's sketch pad out of her backpack. He laid back on his bed, kicking his shoes off and relaxing against his pillows. Carefully, he opened it up and began to look at her drawings.

She was a wonderful artist; he traced the pages with delicate fingers, recognizing Simon, Isabelle, a girl named Maia, even Alec was in there. And much to his dismay, Sebastian. He knew Sebastian would occupy some space, but his heart sunk a little as found Sebastian was on multiple pages.

Jace knew going through this was an invasion of Clary's privacy, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to see what she saw and understand how her mind worked. She got lost in her thoughts so often, it was hard to keep up with her.

He flipped through a few more pages before he found what he had been secretly hoping for: himself.

His face was perfectly drawn in the middle of cream paper, his breath hitched. He let his fingers graze over it gracefully than he had with the others.

If there was any doubt in Clary's feelings, it was gone now.

Clary had captured every hollow, angle, scar, and line of Jace's face. It was easily the most detailed sketch in the entire book. After studying it for a moment, he turned, delighted to find another one of himself. And like its predecessor, it was flawlessly executed.

It was a medium-sized sketch, head to torso. His arms were crossed and he had an impassive look on his face. But what struck Jace were the wings that sprouted from his shoulder blades.

SEBASTION POV

Sebastian looked all around the house for his knee pads, but he couldn't find them anywhere. He cursed under his breath, today was the big homecoming game and he couldn't even get his uniform together.

"Dad," He called, rifling through his hamper for a third time. "Have you seen my knee pads?"

"No, did you check your hamper?" His father called.

"Yes." Sebastian gritted through his teeth. "I can't find them anywhere and I have to be at the school in an hour!"

"I think there are extra ones in the storage closet. Just use those." His father's voice was dismissive.

Sebastian sighed, he was a little superstitious. He liked things a certain way and using a random pair of knee pads was no way to prepare for the big game. Frustrated, but in no position to argue, he stalked to the closet down the hall. He walked in and pulled on the string connected to a single light bulb in the middle of the small square ceiling. He squinted his eyes to focus on the top shelves. Sure enough, a dusty pair sat on top of a black box towards the back.

Even on his tip toes, Sebastian couldn't quite reach the knee pads. His fingers lightly hit the ends of them so he pulled the black box out, hoping the knee pads would fall for him. Instead he lost his balance and they came down with the black box. The contents spilled and covered the whole floor and Sebastian hastily attempted to pick it all back up.

"Is everything OK in there?" His father called.

"Yeah, yeah everything is fine." He said and hastily grabbed the items. He knew his father would be annoyed with the mess. Most of the items were photographs of his father when he was younger, Sebastian tossed them in without much care.

When he thought he cleaned it all up, he noticed two single photos side by side towards the side. He huffed in irritation. He snatched them up, crumpling the ends slightly. As he was about to throw them in with the rest, he turned them over in curiosity.

In the photo his father stood with his arm around a woman. She was oddly familiar with long red hair and beautiful eyes. His face scrunched in confusion as he realized it was Clary's mother.

 _They know each other?_ Feeling oddly unsettled he dumped the photo back into the box.

Unable to help it, he flipped over the second photo. His father was older in this one than the previous, but not by much. And Jocelyn had been replaced with a boy in his father's arms. He squinted, not believing what he was seeing. His stomach formed a threatening pit. The boy was young, very young but his hair and eyes were unmistakable. It was Jace Lightwood.

"Sebastian?" His father called from down the hall, becoming impatient. "Did you find them?"

Sebastian scrambled to his feet and rushed out. He approached his father in haste and he looked at Sebastian with a bemused expression.

"What is this?" Sebastian demanded, holding the photograph just inches away from his father's face.

His father's face turned to stone. "Where did you find that?" he said quietly.

Sebastian felt his voice involuntarily rise, "In the closet. Don't avoid the question. What the hell are you doing holding Jace Lightwood?"

His father raised a hand and a blinding pain hit the right side of Sebastian's face. "Who do you think you're talking to like that boy?"

Sebastian put his hand up to his raw cheek. He knew better than to raise his voice to his dad.

He made sure his voice was even before he spoke again, "I'm sorry, I just, I found one of you and Clary's mother." He shook his head. "I don't understand."

After a moment, his father took a deep breath and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.

"There is a lot I haven't told you, Sebastian."

Valentine's black eyes flickered darkly, Sebastian wasn't sure he was ready to hear it.

CLARY POV

Clary woke with a blinding headache. Her eyes opened slowly and she peeked out from under her pillow. On her nightstand were a few tablets and glass of water that held down a piece of paper that said TAKE THE ASPRIN.

Clary obliged and chugged the whole glass of water in one sitting. Being hungover wasn't anything she wanted to get used to. She thought back to the night before and found few memories. She hadn't realized she had blacked out. One thing she did remember though…Jace. A few butterflies disrupted her already nauseous stomach.

She looked over at her alarm clock and her eyes widened in horror when she saw it 1:45 in the afternoon. She glanced around her room and found her cell phone on her dresser.

A few missed calls and texts from Simon, Izzy, and to her surprise, Sebastian.

She opened his first:

We need to talk after the game. Meet me.

She held her breath, was Sebastian really trying to get her back _again_? She shook her head, not wanting to jump to conclusions or come off as conceited, maybe something was wrong. She texted him back an OK.

Simon and Isabelle both asked Clary to meet them for coffee before the game but they were already there now. She had to shower and clean herself up before she set foot out of the house.

After replying that she'd meet them at the game, she held her phone anxiously. She had hoped Jace would call her. She shrugged off her disappointment, she had been with him only 12 hours ago. It wasn't like they were dating.

Suddenly her phone vibrated in her hand, the Caller ID displaying a number that wasn't programmed in her cellphone. Clary hated getting random numbers. Last year a group of kids had decided to go on a crank call spree, Clary being one of the victims.

"Hello?" She said, trying to coat the uncertainty in her voice.

"You don't seem to happy to hear from me." Jace's voice sounded through the phone.

She smiled to herself, hoping the excitement in her voice wasn't too obvious. "Hi." She murmured.

"That's more like it." She knew he was grinning. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, I actually just woke up." She said, sheepishly. Why was she suddenly so embarrassed about that?

"Yeah well when you decide to drink enough to take down 10 grown men, you're going to have a hell of a hangover."

Clary let out a small laugh and exited her room to look for her mom. Her stomach was in need for some food.

"I would like to offer my assistance in taking care of that." He chimed.

She padded down the stairs slowly, her hand grazing the bannister. She felt like a teen in a romantic comedy. "Oh would you now? Who said I needed assistance?"

"Oh right, I'm taking to Ms. I Can Handle Everything." He sighed in mocked disappointment, "I guess I'll leave you to it, seeing how you need no help from me."

Clary stepped on the bottom step and swung around to head to the kitchen, an even bigger smile replacing the one she was just sporting. "Wait. What did you have in mind?"

If you could hear someone smirk, Clary was listening to his loud and clear, "I was thinking, bagels, coffee, possibly a football game?"

She entered the kitchen and was surprised when she didn't find her mother. Clary sat the table, she must've ran out for groceries. Or maybe she's with Luke, she thought.

She returned back to her conversation. "That could be nice."

"I'll swing by in a half an hour."

Clary hung up, grinning like an idiot. She retreated back to her room to get ready.

MARYSE POV

Maryse rubbed her temple as her divorce lawyer spoke into the phone.

"We _have_ to be in the same room?" She asked, referring to the distribution of the assets meeting that would take place next week with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Robert.

"You can send a proxy, but it would be easier if you two did it yourselves." He explained.

"Fine. Wednesday at noon it is." She murmured, finished with the conversation.

The doorbell rung and Maryse walked towards the front of the house. As expected, Jocelyn Fray and Luke Graymark stood waiting on the other side.

"Jocelyn, Luke." She nodded. "Come in."

They regarded her politely and she took their jackets for them. Quietly, she led them into the dining room.

"Can I get either of you two anything? Tea? Water?" Maryse offered awkwardly. It had been years since she had seen either of them and she was finding it difficult to communicate.

"No thank you, Maryse. We don't plan on staying long." Jocelyn said.

The fact that this would be quick didn't still Maryse's anxiety in the slightest. She had received a call from her old friend very early this morning, Jocelyn begging to meet this afternoon. The urgency had left her so unsettled she came home early from her business trip on Long Island.

"Well then, let's get to it." Maryse said decidedly. She took a seat across from the two at the table. "What can I do for you?"

Jocelyn sighed and looked to Luke, who looked at Maryse. "We have a small problem."

Maryse exhaled deeply, this wasn't what she wanted to hear. But, she supposed, she hadn't expected this to be a reunion or anything. "Is everything alright?" She lowered her voice, "Is it,"

"No." Jocelyn said quickly before Maryse had the chance to say his name. She folded her hands on the table and waited.

"Your children are attending Alicante High."

Maryse nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"Right, well it would seem that your three eldest and my daughter, Clary, have fallen into the same circle."

Maryse had to keep herself from visibly flinching at the world "circle." Irresponsible choice of words, she thought.

"I knew Isabelle had made friends with a few students, but I was unaware that one of them belonged to you, Jocelyn. Is the problem between them?" Maryse asked. She was becoming impatient.

Jocelyn looked at her hands and began to speak, but stopped herself.

"Oh for goodness sake Jocelyn, you're making me nervous. What is it?" She asked. Although it was more confrontational than conversational, Maryse had managed to make it sound polite.

"It also seems that your boy and my daughter have become something of an item."

"An item." Maryse repeated.

"She means that loosely," Luke chimed in, looking to Jocelyn, "we aren't definite about the status of their relationship."

"Alec?"

"No," Jocelyn responded, "Jace."

Maryse nodded, "Well, I mean this isn't the most _ideal_ situation, but I don't see any immediate issues with this. They have nothing to do with us."

"I don't believe that's true." Jocelyn said with a reluctant expression. She lowered her voice. "I tried my best to keep Clary separate from that part of my life, and it has worked all of these years."

Luke grimaced as she said this. Maryse knew Luke had suffered due to Jocelyn's attempts at keeping her daughter in the dark.

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn. I'm still not understanding." Maryse spoke, her voice matching her guest's volume.

"This isn't easy for me to say, but I think it's for the best if Jace and Clary stayed away from each other."

Maryse replied with a confused expression.

"Jace spent his childhood with _him,_ I don't see why it wouldn't be possible if,"

As if a lightbulb switched on in her mind, Maryse caught on. Anger slowly swirled in her chest, but she kept her cool. "You think he'll display similar behavior."

Jocelyn nodded cautiously, knowing she was most likely offending her host. Luke sat quietly, shaking his head a little.

"I'll have you know we've had Jace for seven years now and not once has he given us a reason to question his morals or character. He is smart, loyal, and cares about his family."

Jocelyn went to respond, but was cut off by an displeased Maryse.

"I wasn't finished." Jocelyn nodded and let Maryse continue. "Jace can be rough around the edges, sure, but he is strong in what he believes in and would never, _ever_ act out the way Valentine did." She watched Jocelyn flinch at the sound of Valentine's name, but Maryse didn't care. "And the fact that you came all the way here to offend one of my children, in my own home says a lot more about you than it does about Jace."

Maryse felt her rage simmer, she took a deep breath and waited for Jocelyn's rebuttal. Instead, Jocelyn had her face in her hands. Maryse heard a sniffle.

Slowly, Jocelyn pulled her hands away from her face and gently she wiped the areas under her eyes.

"Maryse," She said cautiously, her voice was almost a whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But, I see myself when I look at them. I see myself and _him_. It's like watching the past repeat itself in my own kitchen. I just want Clary to be safe and she very well may be with Jace. But she is too young to be falling this hard for someone. I did just that, and look where I ended up. You love too hard, too fast and it falls apart. I don't want Clary to go through what I went through. Plus," She sighed, "I'm not ready for her to meet this other part of my life. And if Jace and her continue to grow closer, it'll be inevitable."

Maryse watched Jocelyn rub her temples. For a moment, she studied her old friend. Jocelyn looked worn out and permanently nervous. Luke stroked her back.

Maryse thought about Jace for a moment. He _was_ a great kid.

But…

But he had tendencies; little things that Maryse guessed _could_ appear to be red flags. He liked to cause tiffs with people. He genuinely enjoyed irritating and angering others with his sarcasm and wit. This had resulted in many a fight with his peers and even some adults. It was like he had all of these emotions and his outlet was confrontation.

Then there was the fact that he never had a serious girlfriend; Jace was a good-looking boy and charming, too. From what Maryse could gather, her adopted son was a hit with the ladies, but had never settled down. Of course this was normal behavior of a senior in high-school, but Jace wasn't a normal high-school senior. He had a rough childhood, something told Maryse that his distance from relationships didn't coming from wanting to "play the field", but something much deeper. She doubted Jace would spend more than another week with Jocelyn's daughter.

Maryse thought of Isabelle then; strong and confident Isabelle. Her daughter was a firecracker, but she knew Izzy had a vulnerable side. She pictured Isabelle broken up over a boy, crying on her bed, crushed and defeated. Maryse's heart constricted.

She sighed, if Jocelyn wanted to protect her daughter then Maryse couldn't stand in the way. She would do the same if she thought Izzy was getting involved with the wrong person.

"Fine. We will separate the two."

Jocelyn looked up, relief flooding her face. "Oh Maryse."

"This isn't because Jace isn't good enough or any of the awful things you were suggesting." Maryse said sternly. "This is coming from one protective mother to another."

Jocelyn shook her head, "Of course not. Thank you."

"There is one condition." Maryse said.

Jocelyn nodded willingly.

"We tell them why."

Horror struck Jocelyn's face.

"It isn't right to keep secrets from our children. Lying by omission is one thing; nothing of relevance has ever come up, so there was no need to share. But now, now were too close in proximity. It is going to come out one way or another and the longer we wait, the longer they'll resent us for keeping it from them."

Jocelyn blinked, obviously uncertain of what to say.

"Plus, if I have to meddle with Jace's life, he deserves to know why."

It was Luke who spoke next, "Jocelyn, she is right."

Maryse was surprised. Luke and Jocelyn were usually one such similar pages.

"We don't have to tell her everything. Not every detail needs to be shared, but the gist. She deserves to know."

After a moment of silence, Jocelyn looked to Maryse. "Deal."

CLARY POV

Clary chewed viciously on an everything bagel with delight. After Jace had picked her up, they had decided to eat their food at the homecoming game, leaving Clary's hunger to turn into starvation.

She looked to Jace who was smirking at her. "Hungry?"

She flushed, her mouth full of bagel and cream cheese.

He crumpled his wax wrapper and shoved it into a paper bag at his feet. They sat on the bleachers, near the top with Simon and Isabelle, Alec and Magnus, and Maia and Simon. Clary couldn't help but feel like she was on a quadruple date.

"Thank God Max woke me up when he did. I don't think we would've gotten the place cleaned up in time." Izzy continued with her story.

Maryse Lightwood had unexpectedly come home from her weekend away, almost busting the Lightwood teens.

"Clary, why did you leave so early last night?" Simon asked. "You basically disappeared."

Clary blushed a little, she didn't want to admit that she had forgotten why she left in such haste.

"Drunk desire for adventure?" She asked more than stated. Maia began talking about something Clary couldn't hear and tuned her out.

"Drunk desire for adventure." Jace repeated, looking forward at the field.

"What? You don't believe me?" She asked.

"Well I sort of assumed it was because of me." He shrugged.

"And why would you think that?" She crossed her arms.

He did look at her this time. "Because you stormed out the minute you saw me."

Clary's nose scrunched, did she really do that?

He smirked, "I've been known to piss a few girls off, but your exit was by far the most dramatic I've ever caused. Well done."

She blushed, suddenly remembering spotting Jace in the kitchen and exiting in a fit of rage.

Clary's phone buzzed. MOM, it said on the screen. She answered it.

"Hi." She said, nervous her mom had come home to find an empty house. Clary knew she was going to be grounded after last night. "Look, I know I probably should be at home, but the big game was today,"

"Clary, who are you with right now?"

Clary eyebrows knitted together, "Simon, Isabelle, a few others."

"Is Jace with you?"

She looked at the god sitting next to her. Would she ever get over how beautiful he was?

"Yes."

She heard her mother sigh heavily.

"Is everything alright?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean. Just, just come home as soon as you can, baby. I need to talk to you."

Apprehension filled Clary's chest, what could this be about? Her thoughts traveled to her earlier text from Sebastian about needing to talk to her as well. Clary looked down to the bench where she saw Sebastian looking up at her. He gave a small wave - which Clary didn't return. She'd have to meet him some other time.

"OK. I'll let you know when I'm leaving." Clary responded to her mother. They hung up.

After a while, Clary's interest in the game had completely disintegrated. She reached into her backpack that Jace had brought with him and pulled out her sketch book.

Without thinking she began to draw Jace. She had only drawn him a few times, but she already knew his face pretty well. She was familiar with the curve of his nose and height of his cheekbones. She even remembered the little scar under his right eye.

She peeked up through her red hair that was spilled out on her sketch pad and found Jace watching her. She flushed, but let him see it. He leaned over to get a closer look.

"You're very fun to draw." She said quietly.

"Can I have it?" He asked.

She nodded and ripped it carefully apart from the spirals connecting the pages. She folded it up into fours and handed it to him. He slid it into the back pocket of his black jeans.

"I'm going to get a drink; do you want anything?" He asked. Clary shook her head.

He made his way down the stairs, ignoring the girls that whispered as he walked by. He was so confident and sure of himself, it made Clary jealous. Without falter, he reached the bottom, walking along the fence that separated the field from the bleachers. He paused when he was approached by a cheerleader. Clary squinted. And of course, it was Aline. Clary tried to push away her annoyance. Aline leaned over the fence and reached out to touch his arm. He responded by stepping back and walking away. She smiled to herself.

Feeling the urge to use the bathroom, Clary descended from the bleachers in search for the Port-a-potty with Isabelle. They walked the opposite direction of Jace, strolling along the bench that housed the football players.

"Clary!" She looked to find Sebastian running towards her. She hadn't realized it was half-time.

Clary reluctantly turned and gripped the top of the fence. "Hi."

"What happened to you last night? I tried to talk to you but you stormed out."

"Oh uh yeah, it was a long night." She said awkwardly. She looked to Isabelle.

"I'm going to use the little girl's room." She said, not before giving Simon a dirty look.

Clary suddenly felt very guilty about the prior night's events. Her and Sebastian had never officially broken up, did this mean she cheated on him? Technically, she had been cheating on him from the start of the relationship as she had harbored something for Jace the whole time. But that didn't count right? She couldn't help that.

Oh, who was she kidding. She could've been a good girl and avoided Jace, maybe she wouldn't be in the position she was now. The thought made her a little upset.

"I need to talk to you about Jace." They said at the same time.

"You first." He offered. Clary nodded.

"I know you don't like him," She began. He responded with a scoff, which she ignored. "but something happened and last night. We uh sort of kissed."

Sebastian's eyes might as well have had flames burning in them. "What the fuck do you mean sort of?"

Clary had expected him to take it badly, but his voice was full of venom. "Look Sebastian, he took me home, it was completely unexpected. I don't even know what it means,"

"It means," He interrupted her. "that you are selfish bitch. Who'd rather throw away her relationship to get fucked and used by the new boy than work out what she already committed to."

Clary's mouth opened in shock.

Everything he had said was technically true, but it hadn't looked as bad in Clary's eyes.

And Jace wasn't using her. At least, she didn't think so.

"You wanted this to happen. You never gave a shit about me." He spat.

Jace, aside, this was it. This was Sebastian's problem; what would always keep them from working out things. He was prone to losing control and snapping. There was no communication or compromise. Sebastian had a way of making Clary seem like the villain in every situation.

"Seb, I know I should've officially broken up with you before I did anything, but again, I didn't know last night was going to happen. Nothing I did was out of malignance or because I never cared about you. Jace or not, me and you weren't going to work. Your temper makes everything too hard."

Suddenly, he reached over fence and grabbed Clary's jacket collar and pulled her towards him. She gasped slightly.

"Do not put all the blame on me here." Clary's heart raced in fear. She glanced around nervously; no one had noticed and Izzy wasn't back from the bathroom yet. He gave it another pull, causing her to move to him even closer. Their noses almost touched.

"Sebastian, let go of me." She said as sternly as she could. She tried to remove his hand, but was rewarded with his free hand gripping the other side.

"You are the reason we fell apart, you did this. You and that stuck-up jackass Lightwood. You make me sick, running around whoring yourself out to whoever wants it."

Clary's eyes widened in horror. Where did that come from?

"You expect me to believe you two only kissed? Please, I see the way you look at him, you probably fucked,"

Clary's let her hand crack hard against Sebastian's cheek before he could finish the sentence.

"You bitch!" He screamed in her face.

This time, people noticed what was happening.

"Back up." A voice behind Clary spoke. Without even checking to make sure she knew who it was, she backed into Jace. She felt more safe against his chest than she ever felt in both of Sebastian's arms.

"God, what is it with you? Do you have a sensor or something? This," He used a finger to point to space between him and Clary. "does not concern you. Nor will it ever concern you. So do us all a favor and disappear Lightwood."

"Why don't you make me?" He said, gently pushing Clary to the side.

A hand squeezed Clary's and she looked to find Simon standing next to her. She let out a breath of relief and squeezed it back. She hadn't realized how much she missed Simon.

Jace continued, "Oh wait, your expertise lies in talking big and running away like a coward, I almost forgot."

Clary watched in horror as Sebastian hopped the fence and walked up to Jace. With a forceful fist, he punched Jace in the jaw. Everyone gasped, moving closer to circle around them. Jace reacted immediately. He charged and punched Sebastian square in the face, causing him to lose his balance and fall against the fence.

Simon and Alec rushed in before any authority figures could notice.

"Hey. Hey." Alec said, holding a squirming Jace back. Simon stood between the two fighters with stretched out arms. Jace visibly calmed down and removed his grip from Alec's, but Sebastian was just getting started.

"It's nice you have some back up. A nerd," He glared at Simon and his eyes moved evilly to Alec, "And a queer." The words fell from his mouth in disgust.

Jace charged for him, but Jordan and a wounded Alec pulled him back. Clary's mouth gaped open at his words, but found herself holding Isabelle back from getting involved. Instead, Simon wound up and punched Sebastian in the gut. Sebastian lurched over, gripping his stomach and falling to his knees. The whole crowd gasped in delight and shock, especially Isabelle.

"What the hell is going on here?" Everyone turned to find Coach Jeremiah approaching the fence. Everyone scattered immediately, except all of those actually involved. "Sebastian, get back over here. We have a game going on."

Sebastian growled, clutching his abdomen and retreated back over in a swift motion.

Clary ran up to Simon, reaching for his hand. A few bruises were already forming on his knuckles. She shook her head, "Simon, that was incredible! I didn't know you knew how to fight."

He shrugged, "Apparently when it counts, I do."

Isabelle joined them after speaking briefly with Alec, her face holding something more than amazement: gratitude for her brother. Some others joined to bask in Simon's glory.

"Are you OK?" Izzy asked him, checking out his hand, too.

"Yeah, you should see the other guy." Simon smirked, Izzy smiled and threw his arms around him.

Clary looked over to Jace who was now talking to Alec; he had his hand on Alec's shoulder while Magnus stood close by, nodding. By the looks of it, Jace was talking him down in lieu of Sebastian's decision to out Alec to half of the school.

She watched him rub his brother's shoulder gently. He used the same hand he had used to clock Sebastian in the face. It amazed her, the way Jace was able to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Either gentle as a feather or hard as rock, sarcastic or dead serious. She was learning there was barely any in between with him. She was also learning that despite knowing him for such a short time, she was falling for him.

The three dispersed as Alec and Magnus walked off alone, leaving Jace. Some people went up to him to crowd around Simon's partner in crime. One of them, being Kaelie. She stared at him like with wide puppy dog eyes. It was sort of pathetic and Clary didn't mean that in a malicious way, but there was something so sad about watching someone look at another with such desperation. Clary wondered if that was what she looked like when she looked at Jace. She prayed not.

Jace broke free of the crowd, leaving behind his fans and to approach Clary.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"Are _you_ ok?" She looked down at his knuckles, now brown with drying blood. Forgetting they were out in the open, and not really caring when she realized they were in public, she let her fingers reach out and graze his hand softly. His hand opened up and they intertwined their fingers. "I'm sorry." She kept her head down.

"Clary, look at me."

She looked back up at him and he stared back in confusion. "You're sorry for what?"

Clary pulled his hand up, still entangled with hers. "For this. It's my fault."

Jace scoffed, "This is hardly your fault. He is sad excuse for a human being. And I just happen to think sad excuses for human beings are punishable by fists."

She shook her head; it wasn't good enough to evade her guilt. He sighed, the setting sun hitting his amber eyes.

"Come on." He pulled her away from the crowd and over to the side of the bleachers. Clary looked back to find some people watching them walk off. Kaelie stood with a jealous expression, while Izzy looked on in awe.

When they were finally alone, he let go of her hand and used his to graze her cheek.

"I saw you two speaking, I saw him pull you towards him, and scream in your face. I want to protect you Clary. And I will." He thought for a moment and then added more softly, "And don't you dare go off on a tangent about how you could've handled it."

Despite her somber mood, she couldn't help but smile.

She reached out and carefully touched the area where Sebastian had hit him. Her face winced at the bruising. Of course, nothing could diminish his beauty. He could get hit a million times and he'd still be more attractive than the entire school. Clary retracted her hand.

"This is kind of scary." She whispered.

"My face?" Jace asked. She shook her head, stifling a laugh. "What is?" He asked again, running a hand through her hair that ended up cupping her cheek. Tenderly, he pulled her closer to him. She tried to disguise her hitched breathing, but she was pretty sure he noticed.

Clary looked into his eyes. "This; feeling this way."

His cupped hand slid down to her chin and he used his index finger and thumb to lift her chin up. He came down and planted a kiss on her lips. Clary let her hands slide around his waist as the kiss intensified. They gained momentum quickly, kissing as if they had been deprived for years.

Would it always be like this? A fervent need that would never be satisfied?

Clary didn't want to stop but he pulled away, placing his hands on the metal beams supporting the bleachers, his arms on either side of her head. "What the hell are you doing to me?"

Clary studied his face, specifically his lips. They were beautiful, just like him. She took two fingers and touched them lightly, stroking the top and bottom as softly as she could. His lips parted in pleasure. He leaned down, kissing her once more, kept it short.

She was disappointed when he pulled away and he could tell. He smirked.

"Clary if I could, I would kiss those lips of yours for hours. But in case you've forgotten, like I almost did, we are at a public event. We should get back before everyone starts to wonder if we ditched for a quickie in the port-a-potty." Clary flushed, but smiled none the less. He took his hands off the wall and wiped them against each other. "I mean unless that was something you were interested in, then I would have no problem turning that rumor into a fact."

She shoved his arm and rolled her eyes. He grinned. The two started to round the corner back to the bleachers. Without thinking Clary reached out and grabbed his hand, like it was the most normal thing in the world. She smiled to herself, she liked that it was so normal. She peeked up and found a pleased expression set on his face. No longer was she concerned with what people would say about her switch from Sebastian to Jace. She was too happy to care. If they wanted to talk, they could. But it was her business, not theirs.

She took a deep, but confident breath as they walked out in front of the bleachers.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! Saying "it's been a while" is kind of an understatement. Anyway, I'm back and will be posting a lot more frequently.

I hope you guys like drama...cause this chapter has got A LOT of it.

Jace POV

With his fingers intertwined with Clary's, Jace walked confidently along the bottom row of the bleachers. He was aware that many, if not all, of the students perched in their seats were staring. As if the fight between Jace and Sebastian hadn't been enough, the sudden display of PDA featuring Jace and Clary had been the catalyst to a brand new gossip-high. People looked on without shame; they whispered, some even pointed, but Jace stood tall. This was nothing to him; this attention was kid's stuff. He had been blessed with enough self-assurance that he could be put on display in front of an entire country and still feel comfortable in his own skin. Add that confidence to the feeling of being next to the girl who set his world on fire (in a good way), and nothing could tear him down.

CLARY POV

Clary took a deep breath as she walked in front of her peers. She was uncomfortably aware of the attention on her and Jace. It like she was on trial and the judge? Well, the judge was the entire student body.

 _Who cares about them?_ _This isn't anyone's business but your own._

She repeated this mantra until she felt herself relax a little. The two finally reached the staircase and Jace began to lead her up the metal bleachers.

Row by row, the buzz seemed to amplify. They were only whispers, but that didn't stop them from sounding so… incredibly loud. It felt as if her audience wasn't' even trying to cover up their blatant interest –and criticism- of what they were seeing. Eyes bugged out of heads, the smirks were contagious and it all seemed to increase the higher she rose.

Clary could see Isabelle and Simon waiting up top. They seemed to be the only two people not paying any attention to her and Jace; they were too involved in their own conversation. Clary focused hard on them, determined to keep her head high until she was safe in her seat. She cleared her throat quietly and narrowed her eyes on her friends.

This technique worked for long enough for Clary to really start calming down. But it was sabotaged the millisecond she passed Kaelie, who was conveniently sitting in an aisle seat. She gave Clary a nasty look before turning to her friend.

"They probably went all the way in one of those port-e-pottys out back." The friend whispered to Kaelie. Kaelie giggled obnoxiously in response. Clary shook her head and climbed the next stair, determined not to humor them. _Don't worry about them. Worry about you. Worry about Jace._ She looked at his back. His black tshirt wrapped his torso perfectly, fitting against his perfect back muscles. She stared at his body in awe.

Clary snapped out of her Jace trance.

"Well what else would you expect from a slut?" Kaelie asked with a snort. She said it in a normal tone, but might as well had screamed it because every student in the surrounding area began to laugh.

Clary froze. She could feel her insides burning. She had had it. She pulled her hand out of Jace's grasp and marched back down to where Kaelie was sitting.

Deep down, Clary knew it wasn't personal. She knew Kaelie had said it out of jealousy, she was probably disappointed that the "almighty Jace" had blown her off, but Clary was too angry to care.

"Excuse me, Kaelie." Clary said as politely as she could.

Kaelie's looked up to find Clary hovering over her. Her eyebrows lifted and she stood up to face the raging redhead. Kaelie's friends leaned in to get a load of the drama.

"What do you want?" She crossed her arms challengingly.

"If you have a problem with me, you can say it to my face."

Kaelie gave Clary an "Oh, really?" look.

"I'm sorry Jace isn't interested in you, but bad-mouthing me because you're bitter about it makes you look even pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

People oooo'ed. People laughed. People took out their phones, ready to record if things got physical.

Clary felt a soft tug on her arm. "Not now Jace."

But it was Simon who appeared next to her.

"Clary, leave it. Let's go sit down…"

Kaelie snorted, "I was wondering how long it was going to take until your sidekick showed up. Tell me Simon, are you team Sebastian or team Jace?"

Simon opened his mouth, but Kaelie put a hand up to stop him. "No wait, sorry. I totally forgot, you're not team anyone. You're still waiting for your turn, aren't you?"

Clary's rage simmered as confusion set in. "What?" She looked at Simon and back at Kaelie, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. Clary do us a favor and stop acting so innocent. Don't you think it's time you finally let Simon down once and for all?"

"Shut up Kaelie." Simon spat. Clary noticed his fists ball up.

Kaelie gave a fake smile, "You know what, I take that back. Clary isn't the one to blame here. Its Simon for letting himself be strung around for 12 years." Her eyes narrowed on Simon, "I mean seriously, be a man and move on already."

Everyone in earshot erupted into laughter.

Feeling like the only one who didn't know what was going on, Clary looked at Simon again for an answer.

He glared at Kaelie, but his face was beet red. He was humiliated.

"If you're both done, I'd like to go back to watching the game. Thanks." Kaelie snapped. She flipped her hair and turned to sit back down on the bench.

Clary blinked. _What had just happened?_

"Clary," Jace's angelic voice spoke. She looked up at him standing on the step above her and Simon. Simon shook his head, before bounding down the stair case.

"I've got to go, Jace." She spoke quietly.

"OK, I'll leave with you." He reached out to her, but she recoiled.

"No, I" she turned to find, once again, everyone watching them. "I need to,"

"Patch things up with lover boy?" Kaelie sung from her seat.

"No one damn well asked you, Kaelie so why don't you butt out." Jace responded. Like Simon, Kaelie turned red with embarrassment. She tried to cover up her mortification by rolling her eyes, but Jace had seemed to shut her up.

Clary's mouth formed a hard line. Without saying goodbye, she ran down the steps and after Simon.

LUKE POV

"Oh don't look at me like that." Jocelyn said to Luke. He was sitting across from her at her kitchen table. He had come over a half an hour earlier in hopes of discussing the "No Jace" agenda a little more. Luke knew he wasn't in any place to tell Jocelyn how to raise her daughter, but he knew that this was a bad move. He sat, reading the paper, while she worked on a new painting.

"I'm not looking at you like anything." Luke said matter-of-factly. He kept his eyes zeroed in on his newspaper. Though his attention was supposed to be on an article about unhealthy food in midtown cafeterias, he noticed Jocelyn growing frustrated.

"So you're not thinking that I'm making a terrible mistake by keeping Clary away from Jace?"

He sighed.

"Luke, how can you not think that this is in Clary's best interest?"

Luke reluctantly put his paper down. "I didn't say that. I think any ties from that part of our lives should be cut."

She folded her arms, "But,"

He continued, "But, I don't think those ties should necessarily include offspring. Robert and Maryse are good people, they wouldn't tolerate Jace if he was anything like Valentine."

Jocelyn noticeably flinched at Valentine's name.

Luke softened his tone, "Jocelyn, Jace is one of my students, I see him every day. I see him even when he thinks he isn't being watched. He has a similar… charm and confidence, yes, but he's not as tough as he thinks he is. He's gentle, especially with Clary."

Jocelyn let out a small gasp, "What do you mean he's _gentle with Clary?"_

Luke took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, "Jocelyn, it isn't like they are making out in class. I'm talking about innocent interaction. Talking, laughing, coexisting. He looks at Clary like she's a person. It's not like Valentine. He looked at you like you were,"

Luke struggled to find the right word.

"A possession." Jocelyn finished for him.

Luke nodded slowly. Yes, that was exactly it.

Jocelyn looked down and fiddled with one of her paintbrushs. After a moment, she looked back up at Luke with shallow tears in her eyes.

"I don't want her to go through what I did. I can't do that to my baby girl, Luke."

Luke got up from his seat and rounded the table and put his hands on Jocelyn's shoulders. She covered his left hand with her right.

"I understand that, but Clary isn't a little girl anymore. You can't keep her in the dark forever. If you are going to make an intervention like this, she at least deserves to know why she can't see Jace."

"I will tell her Luke."

"Everything?" He asked.

She was silent for a moment, then stood up suddenly, forcing Luke to stumble backwards. "I can't!"

"Yes, yes you can." He reached for her, but she recoiled from his hand. "Jocelyn, part of healing is accepting that whatever happened, happened. You need to move on from this. It was 16 years ago,"

"How can you suggest that this is something easy enough to _get over_? I didn't' get stood up at the prom or fail a test, Luke!"

Luke struggled to keep his voice even, Jocelyn was the last person he wanted to be mad at, but she was being unreasonable.

"I'm _not_ suggesting that. I'd never suggest that. But look what this has done to you. Almost two decades later and you are just as wounded as the day you finally left him. It's like you've made no progress. It's like you're permanently stuck in this part of your life. I mean how are you supposed to _live_ if you let yourself be crippled by this forever?"

She glared at him, "And I suppose by _live,_ you mean reciprocate your romantic interest?"

Luke's stared at her in disbelief. He grabbed his glasses, his newspaper and briefcase in one swift motion.

Jocelyn sighed, "Luke, I'm sorry I didn't mean that. Really, I don't know why I said that."

Luke put his hand up. "Save it, Jocelyn." He looked at her for a moment before storming out of the house.

He shook his head violently. Jocelyn was better than that, he knew, but that was too out of line. He was only trying to help for Christ's sake!

He was starting to think that this situation – and Jocelyn, were hopeless.

IZZY POV

Izzy ran down the metal stairs as fast as she could in her heels. Jace was standing in the middle of the staircase watching Clary leave.

She grabbed his arm, "What just happened? What did Kaelie say?"

Jace pulled his arm out of her grasp and trudged down the stairs slowly. She followed.

"Jace, where did Simon and Clary go?"

He stayed silent until they reached the parking lot. Frustrated, she gripped his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"Well?"

His face was hard. He was mad, no - he was furious.

"It seems as though there was more to Clary and Simon's friendship than they were letting on."

"Care to elaborate?"

Jace smirked wickedly, "Come on Izzy, use your big girl brain."

She swatted him.

He rolled his eyes, "Simon and Clary aren't _just_ friends."

Izzy felt her jaw drop a little from disbelief. "What? No, that's not possible." She thought for a moment. "Whatever it is you're thinking, you're probably wrong."

He crossed his arms defensively. Izzy knew Jace didn't like to be challenged.

"Probably wrong? When was the last time I was wrong, about anything?"

"Shut up, Jace. You're smart, but you're an idiot. You know as well as I do that you have a tendency to overthink and let your emotions rule your judgement."

He walked closer to her, his golden eyes squinting. "Simon is in love with Clary. Neither of them denied it. Simon ran off, without you. And Clary went after him, without me. Does this mean they're off writing their vows? Probably not. But I'm smart enough to know a connection when I see one. There is no room for us in that relationship. At least not at the moment."

Izzy's disappointment must've been obvious because when Jace finished talking, his eyes grew soft.

She tried to process Jace's words, but images of her parents clouded her mind. The two situations seemed intertwine in Izzy's head. Another woman, of course there is someone else. No, Simon was too good of a guy. He seemed generally interested in Izzy. But then again, hadn't Izzy been quick to think he liked Maia…

She shook her head, no, no that was her insecurity talking. That, and Jace's irrationality.

"Jace," she said evenly. "Maybe, maybe Simon did have feelings for Clary. But that doesn't mean he still does, nor does it mean she feels the same. I think we should let them talk about whatever happened and ask them about it later. Jumping to conclusions is only going to – "

She was cut off by Jace's facial expressions.

First, his eyes squinted. This time, not in anger, but in disbelief. Next, came a hard jaw clench. Finally, she looked at his fists. They were currently balled as if they were ready to knock out the next person who walked by.

"What? What did I say?"

After a moment, Izzy realized it wasn't her words that had disturbed Jace. It was something else.

She turned and searched for what had shaken him up.

Across the parking lot, next to one of the away team's busses stood Clary and Simon. They were talking, intimately. It looked like Clary was begging about something, but it was hard to tell.

 _So what? They're just talking, I don't know -_

Izzy's heart sunk.

Slowly, he tucked a piece of stray hair behind Clary's ear and then cupped her face. A very, very personal gesture.

Simon had never done that to Izzy, and she had her hair in her face all the time. He looked from left to right before grabbing Clary's hand and leading her away behind the bus.

Her benefit of the doubt did its best to combat what she was seeing, but this time it was too real. It was too right there in front of her eyes for her to ignore.

They were so … comfortable and close. It looked so easy with them. Anyone who hadn't known Clary or Simon personally would've assumed the two were an item.

Jace's voice came from behind her. "You should probably quit your staring. I'm sure he's not worrying about you right now. He's got someone who actually has something in common with him."

Izzy bit her lip in fury. She knew Jace was speaking from his own pain, but she just about had it today. She turned slapped Jace across the face.

"You don't need to be such an asshole about it."

She regretted hitting him, of course. But she stormed away to stand her ground. She would be damned if she offered Jace any apology right now.

Alex and Magnus appeared from a heard of cars and began to approach Izzy from the side. She gave them a "not the time look" and they backed off quickly, trailing her at a safe distance. Izzy didn't turn back around until she reached the subway.

As she expected, Jace had disappeared, leaving only Alec and Magnus to travel home with her. As they waited for the train, she pulled out her cellphone, secretly hoping that Simon, or Clary, had tried to contact her. But there was nothing.

She took a deep breath as the train finally arrived and straightened herself out. She decided she didn't need Simon or Clary. Actually, she didn't need anyone.

What she needed was a trip to the mall and a bubble bath.

She smiled slightly to herself. She was Isabelle Lightwood, this drama was beneath her. She stepped confidently onto the subway with a brand new attitude. She knew that she would feel as good as new by the time she got home.

Her high was at its peak when a young couple ran onto the train a millisecond before the doors closed. They were laughing with their arms around each other, out of breath and flushed

And as if they knew Izzy was having romantic problems, they took a seat on the bench right across from her.

They smiled at each other sweetly and shared a kiss. The girl on the right nuzzled her head into her girlfriend's neck and closed her eyes.

The sight reminded Izzy that as fun as shopping and bubble baths could be, it would never be what she was really looking for.

CLARY POV

Clary pulled her hand away from Simon. "Are you going to explain what happened back there now?"

He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Please Simon, you just said you'd tell me." She said waving a hand back to the front of the bus.

After Kaelie had publicly humiliated Simon, Clary had chased him out to the parking lot and had begged him to explain what she meant by _his turn_.

Simon sighed deeply and ran his bruised hand through his hair.

"It's just Kaelie, being Kaelie, Clary. She just wanted to humiliate me, that's all. She didn't mean anything by it."

Clary crossed her arms. "That's what you couldn't tell me back over there, huh?"

He nodded.

Clary threw up her arms in frustration. "I'm out of here!"

"Clary, wait –"Simon said. He grabbed her arm and spun her towards him. "You are my best friend. In the entire universe,"

"I know that," She pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"Let me finish." He said sternly. "You are my best friend in the entire universe and that is because there is not one person who gets me like you do. I don't, I don't click with anyone like I click with you. Not even Eric and the rest of the guys…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "And having that kind of connection with someone… well, its special. And you want that connection all the time, you want to have it… forever. I don't know, I guess I'm kind of babbling at this point…"

"Simon," Clary moved forward slowly, "you can tell me anything, you know that."

He let out an empty laugh, "Easy for you to say, you've never been in love with your best friend."

Clary's breathing stopped. _Did he just say what I think he said?_ She shook her head slightly.

Simon's eyes widened in fear. It was clear he hadn't expected to blurt out what he said.

Clary shook her head.

"Clary…" He started. She took a step back.

 _No, no. This was all wrong. Simon didn't love me…Simon_ couldn't _love me._ It wasn't right. They were best friends, pals, brother and sister. They grew up with each other. They picked their noses with each other, went through puberty together, did things _platonic_ friends did with each other. They weren't in love. They could never.

"Clary, let me explain," He took a step towards her.

"I have to go." She said quietly. She spun on her heel and powerwalked towards the parking lot.

Simon yelled after her, but she didn't turn. Her phone began to ring, but knowing it was Simon or Jace, she ignored it. Clary needed to be alone. She made it off campus and began her walk home.

SIMON POV

"Dammit!" Simon said to himself. He took a deep breath _. Everything is going to be OK. She geeked, like you always knew she would. She just needs some time to take it all in, to calm down. Today was weird for everyone, including you. Let her chill out. You can call her later and explain the whole situation. It will be normal again once you've had the chance to explain yourself._

Simon's inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of his cell ringing. _See? That's probably her right now._ His wounded fingers winced at the feel of the harsh denim of his pocket. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to find Jocelyn's number on it. He contemplated letting it go, Clary would be home soon – whatever Jocelyn needed, she could wait 15 more minutes. He stared at it another second before ultimately shoving it back into his pocket.

JOCELYN POV

Jocelyn watched Luke walk out the back. She bit at her nails. Was Luke right? Of course he'd never imply that Jocelyn's pain wasn't justifiable. Perhaps it _had_ been long enough.

She walked over and put the kettle on; some tea would help her think. Maybe she didn't have to forbid Clary from seeing Jace just yet, maybe she could think about it just a little more. As much as she hated to admit it, Luke had a point. Jace wasn't Valentine's real son, maybe he'd been adopted by the Lightwoods early enough to cover any traces of Valentine's influence.

Jocelyn's own mind interrupted her.

Like a movie, a series of crystal clear images flickered through her mind. Tears, rage, wounds – physical and mental - from 16 years ago managed to reveal themselves all at once.

Jocelyn's heart constricted as every emotion she ever felt under Valentine's control came rushing back to her. Her head spun.

She felt a pit of sadness, Luke was right… about everything, but the memories were a sore reminder of why she still lived in fear.

A sharp knock at the door cleared her mind back up. _Luke_. A wave of relief washed over her, they could talk things out and figure this out together.

She took a deep breath and hurried to the door.

"Luke, I'm so sorry." Jocelyn said as she swung the door open. She froze when she came face to face with the visitor at the door.

"Hello, Jocelyn. It's been a long time." He said. He stood tall and confident with a wicked look in his eye.

"Valentine." She whispered. Her surroundings blurred, as if she was in a dream. Or, in this case, a nightmare.

He smiled, "So glad you remember." He sauntered past her and into the kitchen.

She struggled to speak, as if every word she ever knew was erased from her memory, "What…what are you,"

"Doing here?" Valentine looked at her and gave a sick smile. He walked over to the table and ran his fingers delicately over one of Jocelyn's old watercolors. He lifted his pointer and checked to see if it was dirty.

Jocelyn's throat was as dry as sandpaper. Valentine looked as he always had, handsome, menacing, intimidating, invasive and a bit bored. "Well, it was the funniest thing, actually." He gestured towards the table. "Why don't you take a seat?"

She shook her head slowly.

His eyes narrowed, "Now." The look he gave her sent awful shivers down her spine. It was a look that said "Don't cross me unless you want to end up writhing in pain."

Swallowing hard, she did as she was told.

"As I was saying," He took the seat opposite of hers. "My boy, Sebastian, attends Alicante High."

Jocelyn's lips parted.

"He had some game today, baseball, soccer or whatever" He waved his hand dismissively. "You know I can't be bothered with those kinds of idiotic activities, but I had to run an errand in the neighborhood and decided, hey, why not see what all of the fuss is about. I learned it was a football game. And not just any old football game, but the _homecoming_ game _._ I was about to approach the bleachers to indulge Sebastian when I saw a strange little student.

"She was short, very short, and she had this wild red hair. It was magnificent, actually. I had never seen anything like it. But then I realized I had."

Jocelyn's head began to ache. _No._

He scooted his chair closer to Jocelyn. "I got a closer look at her and was nothing short of shocked to find she shared a stunning resemblance to a woman I knew a long time ago. The woman who was carrying my _daughter._ "

The sound of Valentine referring to Clary was revolting.

"You son of a bitch, if you touched her-"Jocelyn yelled. She stood up. Valentine yanked her hand violently and she was forced to sit back down.

"Do not interrupt me." He pointed a finger invasively in her face.

He cleared his throat before continuing, "It didn't take long for me to track you down, Jocelyn. It was almost _too_ easy."

Jocelyn shook her head. "What do you want?"

Valentine licked his lips. "Pack what you need, we're going on a little trip."

"No." She said.

He grabbed her wrist. Tightening his grip harshly, "Yes, Jocelyn."

"No!" She spat in his face.

"Agh!" He wiped his eye in disgust. Jocelyn stood up and kicked him hard in the chest. He fell back in his chair, scrambled on the floor. She kicked him again, this time in the ribs, before sprinting to the front of the house with her cellphone in hand.

 _Call Luke, no no, call Clary. She can't come home. She can't._

She dialed the number as fast she could and impatiently waited for her daughter to answer.

"Jocelyn!" Valentine roared from the kitchen.

Jocelyn gasped and ran out of the front door. She dialed Simon this time, hoping they were together.

Again, there was nothing.

"Fuck!" Jocelyn said. She needed to figure out a plan. _Call 911._ She nodded to herself and began to dial.

She was suddenly grabbed and turned. Valentine stared at her, furious. He locked his fingers tightly around both of her arms.

Jocelyn looked from side to side, discouraged to find that the street was mostly empty. She thought about yelling anyway.

"Scream and I will kill you right here." He said quietly.

She knew he was serious.

Jocelyn trembled. She fought against his grip, but he was too strong.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Jocelyn gritted through her teeth. He released one of his hands to grab the nape of her neck He dug his nails into her skin, making her whimper.

"Jocelyn, do what I say or you will be very sorry."

"No. I won't, I won't do it."

He tightened his gripped, pulling at the skin. His nails dug deeper and Jocelyn could feel her skin being cut open.

He made sure the street was still vacant before leaning in. "If you don't do what I say, I will take Clary, too." His voice was calm, but it was full of venom.

Jocelyn's heart dropped. The thought of Clary in the presence of this man frightened her more than what he might do Jocelyn. She let a few tears fall down her cheeks before she let him lead her upstairs to pack.

CLARY POV

Clary stared at her front door when she reached it. She was drumming her fingers against the doorknob when a wild breeze came. The wind lifted Clary's hair around her face and wrapped her in a temporary trance. She closed her eyes and let the cool air hit her. It was refreshing, it smelled clean in comparison to the usual smog and smoke she was used to. She breathed it and gripped the door knob confidently. Today had been awful, but the rest of the night didn't have to be.

She turned it and stepped inside.

"Mom? I'm home." She called out, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. "Did you eat dinner yet?" She waited a moment, but there was no answer.

A weird pit of anxiety settled into Clary's stomach. Obviously she had come home to an empty house before, but something felt… off. It was like there tension in the air, like something bad had happened.

Clary walked through the living room and towards the kitchen, ignoring the small sense of dread that was building in her body.

"Mom?" She said, entering the threshold. On the table were a few of Jocelyn's paint brushes, wet and dripping with gem-colored paints. Her portfolio was wide open, small paintings and drafts scattered all over, some on the floor with scuff marks as if they had been stepped on. Clary walked towards the table slowly. Jocelyn never left her supplies out like this. She had always taught Clary to take care of her notebooks and pencils; they were her instruments and ought to be treated as such.

The sound of a kettle screeched and Clary jumped. She put a hand to her heart, that was now beating violently.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to find a missed call from her mother. Her fingers shook as she pressed the buttons to return the call. But there was no answer, just the machine.

"Mom?" Clary tried again. _She must be upstairs. She is obviously using the bathroom or something._ Clary told herself, trying to ignore the fact that the paint from the brushes was now creating a puddle on the linoleum floor.

She ran back to the staircase, climbing the stairs two by two.

"Mom? Mom, where are you?" She gave a nervous laugh, "Its almost 6:00, usually you have dinner ready and trust me, I'm starving!" She bit her lip.

She ducked into her mom's room and stopped in her tracks.

The dresser's drawers were open, one even pulled out onto the floor. Jocelyn's closet was open too, a bunch of clothing missing from the hangers. _What the hell happened in here?_

From where she was standing, Clary could see into her mother's bathroom. The light was on. Clary gingerly stepped into the room and walked over to it.

A bunch of her mother's cosmetics and toiletries were scattered in the sink and on the counter. Clary then noticed a few items missing; Jocelyn's toothbrush, deodorant and hairbrush were all gone.

Clary thought about the dresser and the clothes missing from the closet. Quickly, she ran to the hallway closet. She yanked the chain for the lightbulb so hard, it ripped off. She checked every shelf, then on her knees, every crevice. She was devastated to find that her mother's suitcase was missing.

Jocelyn was gone.

The sound of knocking brought Clary back to reality. From how distant it sounded, she could tell it was the backdoor. The last time someone had used that door was Jace. A wave of guilt fell over her. _Oh, Jace._ The knocking continued, but this time it was followed by a voice.

"Jocelyn! Jocelyn, open up, please. Look I know you're upset with me, but I want to clear things up."

Clary leaned onto her hands so she was now on all fours on the closest floor. _Whose voice is that?_

"Clary is your daughter and you have every right to do what you think is best for her."

Clary's eyes widened. _Mr. Graymark?_

More knocking. "Jocelyn, please just forget about earlier and open up."

 _Earlier? He spoke to my mom today. Maybe, maybe he was here. He might know something!_

Clary scrambled to her feet and ran down the staircase. She scurried to the door and swung it open to find Mr. Graymark retreating from the porch.

"Wait!" She yelled out of breath. "Wait, don't leave."

Mr. Graymark turned, "Clary?" He looked from his left to his right, as if he was making sure no one was around. He took a step towards her, "What are you doing here? I mean," He shook his head, "Isn't the big football game today?"

Clary stared at him.

"Clary, is Jocelyn home?"

It hadn't occurred to Clary that even if Mr. Graymark had been with her mother earlier, he might be as clueless as she was. "I, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't know where she is." She said a bit exasperated. "I came home, the house was a mess and it looks like she left."

"Left?"

"A bunch of her clothes and toiletries are missing and her overnight bag is gone."

Mr. Graymark's face turned to stone. "Oh no." He said gravely.

Clary walked down the porch steps and to him, "Oh no, what? Do you know what happened to her?"

He looked at Clary, fear in his eyes. Fear and something else, something softer… sympathy?

Clary felt her throat closing, "Mr. Graymark, please tell me you know where my mom is."

His face softened to match his eyes, "I'm afraid I don't Clary."

Clary stared at him with wide eyes. She felt her chest tighten.

He shrugged, "You said she packed some things? Maybe she took a trip or something."

"And decided to leave her teenage daughter in the dark and alone?"

"Perhaps, she…"

"Mr. Graymark stop. I came home to the kettle on the stove, my mom's art supplies left everywhere, which she never, ever does, her room looks like it has been ransacked and her overnight stuff is gone. Something is wrong. Something is really wrong. And it's obvious that you're just as nervous as I am so stop trying to make up excuses and pretend that you aren't afraid of what might have happened here. I don't care why you and my mom are together all the time or what your connection to her is. I don't care what you did to upset my mom to the point where you had to show up unannounced to apologize. But I do care about my mom. I care about the fact that she is missing. And so do you. So let's cut all the bullshit because I am really, really worried here."

Clary let out a deep breath and felt a tear fall down her cheek.

Mr. Graymark put a hand on her shoulder gentJace POV

With his fingers intertwined with Clary's, Jace walked confidently along the bottom row of the bleachers. He was aware that many, if not all, of the students perched in their seats were staring. As if the fight between Jace and Sebastian hadn't been enough, the sudden display of PDA featuring Jace and Clary had been the catalyst to a brand new gossip-high. People looked on without shame; they whispered, some even pointed, but Jace stood tall. This was nothing to him; this attention was kid's stuff. He had been blessed with enough self-assurance that he could be put on display in front of an entire country and still feel comfortable in his own skin. Add that confidence to the feeling of being next to the girl who set his world on fire (in a good way), and nothing could tear him down.

CLARY POV

Clary took a deep breath as she walked in front of her peers. She was uncomfortably aware of the attention on her and Jace. It like she was on trial and the judge? Well, the judge was the entire student body.

 _Who cares about them?_ _This isn't anyone's business but your own._

She repeated this mantra until she felt herself relax a little. The two finally reached the staircase and Jace began to lead her up the metal bleachers.

Row by row, the buzz seemed to amplify. They were only whispers, but that didn't stop them from sounding so… incredibly loud. It felt as if her audience wasn't' even trying to cover up their blatant interest –and criticism- of what they were seeing. Eyes bugged out of heads, the smirks were contagious and it all seemed to increase the higher she rose.

Clary could see Isabelle and Simon waiting up top. They seemed to be the only two people not paying any attention to her and Jace; they were too involved in their own conversation. Clary focused hard on them, determined to keep her head high until she was safe in her seat. She cleared her throat quietly and narrowed her eyes on her friends.

This technique worked for long enough for Clary to really start calming down. But it was sabotaged the millisecond she passed Kaelie, who was conveniently sitting in an aisle seat. She gave Clary a nasty look before turning to her friend.

"They probably went all the way in one of those port-e-pottys out back." The friend whispered to Kaelie. Kaelie giggled obnoxiously in response. Clary shook her head and climbed the next stair, determined not to humor them. _Don't worry about them. Worry about you. Worry about Jace._ She looked at his back. His black tshirt wrapped his torso perfectly, fitting against his perfect back muscles. She stared at his body in awe.

Clary snapped out of her Jace trance.

"Well what else would you expect from a slut?" Kaelie asked with a snort. She said it in a normal tone, but might as well had screamed it because every student in the surrounding area began to laugh.

Clary froze. She could feel her insides burning. She had had it. She pulled her hand out of Jace's grasp and marched back down to where Kaelie was sitting.

Deep down, Clary knew it wasn't personal. She knew Kaelie had said it out of jealousy, she was probably disappointed that the "almighty Jace" had blown her off, but Clary was too angry to care.

"Excuse me, Kaelie." Clary said as politely as she could.

Kaelie's looked up to find Clary hovering over her. Her eyebrows lifted and she stood up to face the raging redhead. Kaelie's friends leaned in to get a load of the drama.

"What do you want?" She crossed her arms challengingly.

"If you have a problem with me, you can say it to my face."

Kaelie gave Clary an "Oh, really?" look.

"I'm sorry Jace isn't interested in you, but bad-mouthing me because you're bitter about it makes you look even pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

People oooo'ed. People laughed. People took out their phones, ready to record if things got physical.

Clary felt a soft tug on her arm. "Not now Jace."

But it was Simon who appeared next to her.

"Clary, leave it. Let's go sit down…"

Kaelie snorted, "I was wondering how long it was going to take until your sidekick showed up. Tell me Simon, are you team Sebastian or team Jace?"

Simon opened his mouth, but Kaelie put a hand up to stop him. "No wait, sorry. I totally forgot, you're not team anyone. You're still waiting for your turn, aren't you?"

Clary's rage simmered as confusion set in. "What?" She looked at Simon and back at Kaelie, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. Clary do us a favor and stop acting so innocent. Don't you think it's time you finally let Simon down once and for all?"

"Shut up Kaelie." Simon spat. Clary noticed his fists ball up.

Kaelie gave a fake smile, "You know what, I take that back. Clary isn't the one to blame here. Its Simon for letting himself be strung around for 12 years." Her eyes narrowed on Simon, "I mean seriously, be a man and move on already."

Everyone in earshot erupted into laughter.

Feeling like the only one who didn't know what was going on, Clary looked at Simon again for an answer.

He glared at Kaelie, but his face was beet red. He was humiliated.

"If you're both done, I'd like to go back to watching the game. Thanks." Kaelie snapped. She flipped her hair and turned to sit back down on the bench.

Clary blinked. _What had just happened?_

"Clary," Jace's angelic voice spoke. She looked up at him standing on the step above her and Simon. Simon shook his head, before bounding down the stair case.

"I've got to go, Jace." She spoke quietly.

"OK, I'll leave with you." He reached out to her, but she recoiled.

"No, I" she turned to find, once again, everyone watching them. "I need to,"

"Patch things up with lover boy?" Kaelie sung from her seat.

"No one damn well asked you, Kaelie so why don't you butt out." Jace responded. Like Simon, Kaelie turned red with embarrassment. She tried to cover up her mortification by rolling her eyes, but Jace had seemed to shut her up.

Clary's mouth formed a hard line. Without saying goodbye, she ran down the steps and after Simon.

LUKE POV

"Oh don't look at me like that." Jocelyn said to Luke. He was sitting across from her at her kitchen table. He had come over a half an hour earlier in hopes of discussing the "No Jace" agenda a little more. Luke knew he wasn't in any place to tell Jocelyn how to raise her daughter, but he knew that this was a bad move. He sat, reading the paper, while she worked on a new painting.

"I'm not looking at you like anything." Luke said matter-of-factly. He kept his eyes zeroed in on his newspaper. Though his attention was supposed to be on an article about unhealthy food in midtown cafeterias, he noticed Jocelyn growing frustrated.

"So you're not thinking that I'm making a terrible mistake by keeping Clary away from Jace?"

He sighed.

"Luke, how can you not think that this is in Clary's best interest?"

Luke reluctantly put his paper down. "I didn't say that. I think any ties from that part of our lives should be cut."

She folded her arms, "But,"

He continued, "But, I don't think those ties should necessarily include offspring. Robert and Maryse are good people, they wouldn't tolerate Jace if he was anything like Valentine."

Jocelyn noticeably flinched at Valentine's name.

Luke softened his tone, "Jocelyn, Jace is one of my students, I see him every day. I see him even when he thinks he isn't being watched. He has a similar… charm and confidence, yes, but he's not as tough as he thinks he is. He's gentle, especially with Clary."

Jocelyn let out a small gasp, "What do you mean he's _gentle with Clary?"_

Luke took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, "Jocelyn, it isn't like they are making out in class. I'm talking about innocent interaction. Talking, laughing, coexisting. He looks at Clary like she's a person. It's not like Valentine. He looked at you like you were,"

Luke struggled to find the right word.

"A possession." Jocelyn finished for him.

Luke nodded slowly. Yes, that was exactly it.

Jocelyn looked down and fiddled with one of her paintbrushs. After a moment, she looked back up at Luke with shallow tears in her eyes.

"I don't want her to go through what I did. I can't do that to my baby girl, Luke."

Luke got up from his seat and rounded the table and put his hands on Jocelyn's shoulders. She covered his left hand with her right.

"I understand that, but Clary isn't a little girl anymore. You can't keep her in the dark forever. If you are going to make an intervention like this, she at least deserves to know why she can't see Jace."

"I will tell her Luke."

"Everything?" He asked.

She was silent for a moment, then stood up suddenly, forcing Luke to stumble backwards. "I can't!"

"Yes, yes you can." He reached for her, but she recoiled from his hand. "Jocelyn, part of healing is accepting that whatever happened, happened. You need to move on from this. It was 16 years ago,"

"How can you suggest that this is something easy enough to _get over_? I didn't' get stood up at the prom or fail a test, Luke!"

Luke struggled to keep his voice even, Jocelyn was the last person he wanted to be mad at, but she was being unreasonable.

"I'm _not_ suggesting that. I'd never suggest that. But look what this has done to you. Almost two decades later and you are just as wounded as the day you finally left him. It's like you've made no progress. It's like you're permanently stuck in this part of your life. I mean how are you supposed to _live_ if you let yourself be crippled by this forever?"

She glared at him, "And I suppose by _live,_ you mean reciprocate your romantic interest?"

Luke's stared at her in disbelief. He grabbed his glasses, his newspaper and briefcase in one swift motion.

Jocelyn sighed, "Luke, I'm sorry I didn't mean that. Really, I don't know why I said that."

Luke put his hand up. "Save it, Jocelyn." He looked at her for a moment before storming out of the house.

He shook his head violently. Jocelyn was better than that, he knew, but that was too out of line. He was only trying to help for Christ's sake!

He was starting to think that this situation – and Jocelyn, were hopeless.

IZZY POV

Izzy ran down the metal stairs as fast as she could in her heels. Jace was standing in the middle of the staircase watching Clary leave.

She grabbed his arm, "What just happened? What did Kaelie say?"

Jace pulled his arm out of her grasp and trudged down the stairs slowly. She followed.

"Jace, where did Simon and Clary go?"

He stayed silent until they reached the parking lot. Frustrated, she gripped his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"Well?"

His face was hard. He was mad, no - he was furious.

"It seems as though there was more to Clary and Simon's friendship than they were letting on."

"Care to elaborate?"

Jace smirked wickedly, "Come on Izzy, use your big girl brain."

She swatted him.

He rolled his eyes, "Simon and Clary aren't _just_ friends."

Izzy felt her jaw drop a little from disbelief. "What? No, that's not possible." She thought for a moment. "Whatever it is you're thinking, you're probably wrong."

He crossed his arms defensively. Izzy knew Jace didn't like to be challenged.

"Probably wrong? When was the last time I was wrong, about anything?"

"Shut up, Jace. You're smart, but you're an idiot. You know as well as I do that you have a tendency to overthink and let your emotions rule your judgement."

He walked closer to her, his golden eyes squinting. "Simon is in love with Clary. Neither of them denied it. Simon ran off, without you. And Clary went after him, without me. Does this mean they're off writing their vows? Probably not. But I'm smart enough to know a connection when I see one. There is no room for us in that relationship. At least not at the moment."

Izzy's disappointment must've been obvious because when Jace finished talking, his eyes grew soft.

She tried to process Jace's words, but images of her parents clouded her mind. The two situations seemed intertwine in Izzy's head. Another woman, of course there is someone else. No, Simon was too good of a guy. He seemed generally interested in Izzy. But then again, hadn't Izzy been quick to think he liked Maia…

She shook her head, no, no that was her insecurity talking. That, and Jace's irrationality.

"Jace," she said evenly. "Maybe, maybe Simon did have feelings for Clary. But that doesn't mean he still does, nor does it mean she feels the same. I think we should let them talk about whatever happened and ask them about it later. Jumping to conclusions is only going to – "

She was cut off by Jace's facial expressions.

First, his eyes squinted. This time, not in anger, but in disbelief. Next, came a hard jaw clench. Finally, she looked at his fists. They were currently balled as if they were ready to knock out the next person who walked by.

"What? What did I say?"

After a moment, Izzy realized it wasn't her words that had disturbed Jace. It was something else.

She turned and searched for what had shaken him up.

Across the parking lot, next to one of the away team's busses stood Clary and Simon. They were talking, intimately. It looked like Clary was begging about something, but it was hard to tell.

 _So what? They're just talking, I don't know -_

Izzy's heart sunk.

Slowly, he tucked a piece of stray hair behind Clary's ear and then cupped her face. A very, very personal gesture.

Simon had never done that to Izzy, and she had her hair in her face all the time. He looked from left to right before grabbing Clary's hand and leading her away behind the bus.

Her benefit of the doubt did its best to combat what she was seeing, but this time it was too real. It was too right there in front of her eyes for her to ignore.

They were so … comfortable and close. It looked so easy with them. Anyone who hadn't known Clary or Simon personally would've assumed the two were an item.

Jace's voice came from behind her. "You should probably quit your staring. I'm sure he's not worrying about you right now. He's got someone who actually has something in common with him."

Izzy bit her lip in fury. She knew Jace was speaking from his own pain, but she just about had it today. She turned slapped Jace across the face.

"You don't need to be such an asshole about it."

She regretted hitting him, of course. But she stormed away to stand her ground. She would be damned if she offered Jace any apology right now.

Alex and Magnus appeared from a heard of cars and began to approach Izzy from the side. She gave them a "not the time look" and they backed off quickly, trailing her at a safe distance. Izzy didn't turn back around until she reached the subway.

As she expected, Jace had disappeared, leaving only Alec and Magnus to travel home with her. As they waited for the train, she pulled out her cellphone, secretly hoping that Simon, or Clary, had tried to contact her. But there was nothing.

She took a deep breath as the train finally arrived and straightened herself out. She decided she didn't need Simon or Clary. Actually, she didn't need anyone.

What she needed was a trip to the mall and a bubble bath.

She smiled slightly to herself. She was Isabelle Lightwood, this drama was beneath her. She stepped confidently onto the subway with a brand new attitude. She knew that she would feel as good as new by the time she got home.

Her high was at its peak when a young couple ran onto the train a millisecond before the doors closed. They were laughing with their arms around each other, out of breath and flushed

And as if they knew Izzy was having romantic problems, they took a seat on the bench right across from her.

They smiled at each other sweetly and shared a kiss. The girl on the right nuzzled her head into her girlfriend's neck and closed her eyes.

The sight reminded Izzy that as fun as shopping and bubble baths could be, it would never be what she was really looking for.

CLARY POV

Clary pulled her hand away from Simon. "Are you going to explain what happened back there now?"

He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Please Simon, you just said you'd tell me." She said waving a hand back to the front of the bus.

After Kaelie had publicly humiliated Simon, Clary had chased him out to the parking lot and had begged him to explain what she meant by _his turn_.

Simon sighed deeply and ran his bruised hand through his hair.

"It's just Kaelie, being Kaelie, Clary. She just wanted to humiliate me, that's all. She didn't mean anything by it."

Clary crossed her arms. "That's what you couldn't tell me back over there, huh?"

He nodded.

Clary threw up her arms in frustration. "I'm out of here!"

"Clary, wait –"Simon said. He grabbed her arm and spun her towards him. "You are my best friend. In the entire universe,"

"I know that," She pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"Let me finish." He said sternly. "You are my best friend in the entire universe and that is because there is not one person who gets me like you do. I don't, I don't click with anyone like I click with you. Not even Eric and the rest of the guys…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "And having that kind of connection with someone… well, its special. And you want that connection all the time, you want to have it… forever. I don't know, I guess I'm kind of babbling at this point…"

"Simon," Clary moved forward slowly, "you can tell me anything, you know that."

He let out an empty laugh, "Easy for you to say, you've never been in love with your best friend."

Clary's breathing stopped. _Did he just say what I think he said?_ She shook her head slightly.

Simon's eyes widened in fear. It was clear he hadn't expected to blurt out what he said.

Clary shook her head.

"Clary…" He started. She took a step back.

 _No, no. This was all wrong. Simon didn't love me…Simon_ couldn't _love me._ It wasn't right. They were best friends, pals, brother and sister. They grew up with each other. They picked their noses with each other, went through puberty together, did things _platonic_ friends did with each other. They weren't in love. They could never.

"Clary, let me explain," He took a step towards her.

"I have to go." She said quietly. She spun on her heel and powerwalked towards the parking lot.

Simon yelled after her, but she didn't turn. Her phone began to ring, but knowing it was Simon or Jace, she ignored it. Clary needed to be alone. She made it off campus and began her walk home.

SIMON POV

"Dammit!" Simon said to himself. He took a deep breath _. Everything is going to be OK. She geeked, like you always knew she would. She just needs some time to take it all in, to calm down. Today was weird for everyone, including you. Let her chill out. You can call her later and explain the whole situation. It will be normal again once you've had the chance to explain yourself._

Simon's inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of his cell ringing. _See? That's probably her right now._ His wounded fingers winced at the feel of the harsh denim of his pocket. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to find Jocelyn's number on it. He contemplated letting it go, Clary would be home soon – whatever Jocelyn needed, she could wait 15 more minutes. He stared at it another second before ultimately shoving it back into his pocket.

JOCELYN POV

Jocelyn watched Luke walk out the back. She bit at her nails. Was Luke right? Of course he'd never imply that Jocelyn's pain wasn't justifiable. Perhaps it _had_ been long enough.

She walked over and put the kettle on; some tea would help her think. Maybe she didn't have to forbid Clary from seeing Jace just yet, maybe she could think about it just a little more. As much as she hated to admit it, Luke had a point. Jace wasn't Valentine's real son, maybe he'd been adopted by the Lightwoods early enough to cover any traces of Valentine's influence.

Jocelyn's own mind interrupted her.

Like a movie, a series of crystal clear images flickered through her mind. Tears, rage, wounds – physical and mental - from 16 years ago managed to reveal themselves all at once.

Jocelyn's heart constricted as every emotion she ever felt under Valentine's control came rushing back to her. Her head spun.

She felt a pit of sadness, Luke was right… about everything, but the memories were a sore reminder of why she still lived in fear.

A sharp knock at the door cleared her mind back up. _Luke_. A wave of relief washed over her, they could talk things out and figure this out together.

She took a deep breath and hurried to the door.

"Luke, I'm so sorry." Jocelyn said as she swung the door open. She froze when she came face to face with the visitor at the door.

"Hello, Jocelyn. It's been a long time." He said. He stood tall and confident with a wicked look in his eye.

"Valentine." She whispered. Her surroundings blurred, as if she was in a dream. Or, in this case, a nightmare.

He smiled, "So glad you remember." He sauntered past her and into the kitchen.

She struggled to speak, as if every word she ever knew was erased from her memory, "What…what are you,"

"Doing here?" Valentine looked at her and gave a sick smile. He walked over to the table and ran his fingers delicately over one of Jocelyn's old watercolors. He lifted his pointer and checked to see if it was dirty.

Jocelyn's throat was as dry as sandpaper. Valentine looked as he always had, handsome, menacing, intimidating, invasive and a bit bored. "Well, it was the funniest thing, actually." He gestured towards the table. "Why don't you take a seat?"

She shook her head slowly.

His eyes narrowed, "Now." The look he gave her sent awful shivers down her spine. It was a look that said "Don't cross me unless you want to end up writhing in pain."

Swallowing hard, she did as she was told.

"As I was saying," He took the seat opposite of hers. "My boy, Sebastian, attends Alicante High."

Jocelyn's lips parted.

"He had some game today, baseball, soccer or whatever" He waved his hand dismissively. "You know I can't be bothered with those kinds of idiotic activities, but I had to run an errand in the neighborhood and decided, hey, why not see what all of the fuss is about. I learned it was a football game. And not just any old football game, but the _homecoming_ game _._ I was about to approach the bleachers to indulge Sebastian when I saw a strange little student.

"She was short, very short, and she had this wild red hair. It was magnificent, actually. I had never seen anything like it. But then I realized I had."

Jocelyn's head began to ache. _No._

He scooted his chair closer to Jocelyn. "I got a closer look at her and was nothing short of shocked to find she shared a stunning resemblance to a woman I knew a long time ago. The woman who was carrying my _daughter._ "

The sound of Valentine referring to Clary was revolting.

"You son of a bitch, if you touched her-"Jocelyn yelled. She stood up. Valentine yanked her hand violently and she was forced to sit back down.

"Do not interrupt me." He pointed a finger invasively in her face.

He cleared his throat before continuing, "It didn't take long for me to track you down, Jocelyn. It was almost _too_ easy."

Jocelyn shook her head. "What do you want?"

Valentine licked his lips. "Pack what you need, we're going on a little trip."

"No." She said.

He grabbed her wrist. Tightening his grip harshly, "Yes, Jocelyn."

"No!" She spat in his face.

"Agh!" He wiped his eye in disgust. Jocelyn stood up and kicked him hard in the chest. He fell back in his chair, scrambled on the floor. She kicked him again, this time in the ribs, before sprinting to the front of the house with her cellphone in hand.

 _Call Luke, no no, call Clary. She can't come home. She can't._

She dialed the number as fast she could and impatiently waited for her daughter to answer.

"Jocelyn!" Valentine roared from the kitchen.

Jocelyn gasped and ran out of the front door. She dialed Simon this time, hoping they were together.

Again, there was nothing.

"Fuck!" Jocelyn said. She needed to figure out a plan. _Call 911._ She nodded to herself and began to dial.

She was suddenly grabbed and turned. Valentine stared at her, furious. He locked his fingers tightly around both of her arms.

Jocelyn looked from side to side, discouraged to find that the street was mostly empty. She thought about yelling anyway.

"Scream and I will kill you right here." He said quietly.

She knew he was serious.

Jocelyn trembled. She fought against his grip, but he was too strong.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Jocelyn gritted through her teeth. He released one of his hands to grab the nape of her neck He dug his nails into her skin, making her whimper.

"Jocelyn, do what I say or you will be very sorry."

"No. I won't, I won't do it."

He tightened his gripped, pulling at the skin. His nails dug deeper and Jocelyn could feel her skin being cut open.

He made sure the street was still vacant before leaning in. "If you don't do what I say, I will take Clary, too." His voice was calm, but it was full of venom.

Jocelyn's heart dropped. The thought of Clary in the presence of this man frightened her more than what he might do Jocelyn. She let a few tears fall down her cheeks before she let him lead her upstairs to pack.

CLARY POV

Clary stared at her front door when she reached it. She was drumming her fingers against the doorknob when a wild breeze came. The wind lifted Clary's hair around her face and wrapped her in a temporary trance. She closed her eyes and let the cool air hit her. It was refreshing, it smelled clean in comparison to the usual smog and smoke she was used to. She breathed it and gripped the door knob confidently. Today had been awful, but the rest of the night didn't have to be.

She turned it and stepped inside.

"Mom? I'm home." She called out, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. "Did you eat dinner yet?" She waited a moment, but there was no answer.

A weird pit of anxiety settled into Clary's stomach. Obviously she had come home to an empty house before, but something felt… off. It was like there tension in the air, like something bad had happened.

Clary walked through the living room and towards the kitchen, ignoring the small sense of dread that was building in her body.

"Mom?" She said, entering the threshold. On the table were a few of Jocelyn's paint brushes, wet and dripping with gem-colored paints. Her portfolio was wide open, small paintings and drafts scattered all over, some on the floor with scuff marks as if they had been stepped on. Clary walked towards the table slowly. Jocelyn never left her supplies out like this. She had always taught Clary to take care of her notebooks and pencils; they were her instruments and ought to be treated as such.

The sound of a kettle screeched and Clary jumped. She put a hand to her heart, that was now beating violently.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to find a missed call from her mother. Her fingers shook as she pressed the buttons to return the call. But there was no answer, just the machine.

"Mom?" Clary tried again. _She must be upstairs. She is obviously using the bathroom or something._ Clary told herself, trying to ignore the fact that the paint from the brushes was now creating a puddle on the linoleum floor.

She ran back to the staircase, climbing the stairs two by two.

"Mom? Mom, where are you?" She gave a nervous laugh, "Its almost 6:00, usually you have dinner ready and trust me, I'm starving!" She bit her lip.

She ducked into her mom's room and stopped in her tracks.

The dresser's drawers were open, one even pulled out onto the floor. Jocelyn's closet was open too, a bunch of clothing missing from the hangers. _What the hell happened in here?_

From where she was standing, Clary could see into her mother's bathroom. The light was on. Clary gingerly stepped into the room and walked over to it.

A bunch of her mother's cosmetics and toiletries were scattered in the sink and on the counter. Clary then noticed a few items missing; Jocelyn's toothbrush, deodorant and hairbrush were all gone.

Clary thought about the dresser and the clothes missing from the closet. Quickly, she ran to the hallway closet. She yanked the chain for the lightbulb so hard, it ripped off. She checked every shelf, then on her knees, every crevice. She was devastated to find that her mother's suitcase was missing.

Jocelyn was gone.

The sound of knocking brought Clary back to reality. From how distant it sounded, she could tell it was the backdoor. The last time someone had used that door was Jace. A wave of guilt fell over her. _Oh, Jace._ The knocking continued, but this time it was followed by a voice.

"Jocelyn! Jocelyn, open up, please. Look I know you're upset with me, but I want to clear things up."

Clary leaned onto her hands so she was now on all fours on the closest floor. _Whose voice is that?_

"Clary is your daughter and you have every right to do what you think is best for her."

Clary's eyes widened. _Mr. Graymark?_

More knocking. "Jocelyn, please just forget about earlier and open up."

 _Earlier? He spoke to my mom today. Maybe, maybe he was here. He might know something!_

Clary scrambled to her feet and ran down the staircase. She scurried to the door and swung it open to find Mr. Graymark retreating from the porch.

"Wait!" She yelled out of breath. "Wait, don't leave."

Mr. Graymark turned, "Clary?" He looked from his left to his right, as if he was making sure no one was around. He took a step towards her, "What are you doing here? I mean," He shook his head, "Isn't the big football game today?"

Clary stared at him.

"Clary, is Jocelyn home?"

It hadn't occurred to Clary that even if Mr. Graymark had been with her mother earlier, he might be as clueless as she was. "I, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't know where she is." She said a bit exasperated. "I came home, the house was a mess and it looks like she left."

"Left?"

"A bunch of her clothes and toiletries are missing and her overnight bag is gone."

Mr. Graymark's face turned to stone. "Oh no." He said gravely.

Clary walked down the porch steps and to him, "Oh no, what? Do you know what happened to her?"

He looked at Clary, fear in his eyes. Fear and something else, something softer… sympathy?

Clary felt her throat closing, "Mr. Graymark, please tell me you know where my mom is."

His face softened to match his eyes, "I'm afraid I don't Clary."

Clary stared at him with wide eyes. She felt her chest tighten.

He shrugged, "You said she packed some things? Maybe she took a trip or something."

"And decided to leave her teenage daughter in the dark and alone?"

"Perhaps, she…"

"Mr. Graymark stop. I came home to the kettle on the stove, my mom's art supplies left everywhere, which she never, ever does, her room looks like it has been ransacked and her overnight stuff is gone. Something is wrong. Something is really wrong. And it's obvious that you're just as nervous as I am so stop trying to make up excuses and pretend that you aren't afraid of what might have happened here. I don't care why you and my mom are together all the time or what your connection to her is. I don't care what you did to upset my mom to the point where you had to show up unannounced to apologize. But I do care about my mom. I care about the fact that she is missing. And so do you. So let's cut all the bullshit because I am really, really worried here."

Clary let out a deep breath and felt a tear fall down her cheek.

Mr. Graymark put a hand on her shoulder gently. He gave a small nod. "I don't know where you mother went Clary, but I may know somethings that could help us figure it out." He swallowed, "Let's head inside."

ly. He gave a small nod. "I don't know where you mother went Clary, but I may know somethings that could help us figure it out." He swallowed, "Let's head inside."


End file.
